


We'll see

by TiffanyF



Category: CSI: Miami, CSI: NY
Genre: M/M, Suicide Attempt, ooc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-04
Updated: 2015-04-12
Packaged: 2017-11-28 03:45:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 45
Words: 38,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/669908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiffanyF/pseuds/TiffanyF
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>SPOILERS END SEASON 1 CSI NEW YORK<br/>After Mac's comment to Danny in the season finale, things take a drastic and almost fatal turn. Then things get really interesting. I don't own 'em and don't make any money here.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Dear Mac,

I ain’t sure when you’re gonna find this as, right now, I doubt you are enough about me to come looking when I don’t show for work tomorrow. Am I a coward to handle things like this? Yeah, probably, but I just can’t face you no more. By the time you find this, I’ll be gone.

I wish you weren’t such a coward and had the nerve, the balls, to ask me ‘bout my history with Sassone and Tanglewood. You know I ain’t got the tat and I’ve never understood your actions after the bastard dropped my name. Yeah, I was listening and heard the whole thing. But it still hurt when you dropped me like a hot potato. We’d been lovers for two years. I trusted you, Mac, and maybe I’m the idiot and not you.

If you had asked I woulda told you that my brother Louie ran with Sassone and that’s how they know ‘bout me. I never lied to you, Mac, not once. And yet I can see it in your eyes every time you look at me. I can see you hate me. I can see you don’t trust me no more.

The night you kicked me out of your apartment you tore my heart in two. I tried to be normal at work so no one would see how much you hurt me. And once you started it seemed that you had to take every single chance to cut me down. You made it your mission to devalue and humiliate me at the lab and in front of my co-workers. It hurt so much when you lectured me in the middle of the lab so everyone knew I’d messed up and fallen outta favor. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to do my job after that? No one wants to help me ‘cause they don’t want to draw your anger down on themselves.

And I know that you didn’t have my back after the shooting a few weeks ago. No one did. I know all you cared about was protecting the lab. By clearing me you saved your precious lab. You proved your true feelings when you chased away the one person who still believed in me. I’d like to know why you never talked to me ‘bout my feelings and how I was doing. And to hear my best friend blindly back you up hurt me so bad. Has he taken my place in your bed and heart? Is that why?

I have a fair idea who told you not to hire me and all I can say is I’m sorry. He knew my brother in school and always assumed I’d followed Louie into the gang. But you didn’t make a mistake hiring me. I made the mistake when I fell in love with you. I ain’t slept for more than a couple hours a night in months and I’m so tired.

I’m tired of the whispers and the comments behind my back. I’m tired of the conversations that stop when I walk into a room. I’m tired of lab techs and co-workers who can only just hide how much they don’t want to work with me. And I’m tired of the hate and loathing I see in your eyes any time you look at me. I wish I could see love in your eyes one more time when you look at me but I know that ain’t gonna happen. You proved that to me today. What would it’ve cost you to say eventually? I wasn’t expecting no miracles or nothing but I foolishly held onto some hope that maybe, deep down, you loved me enough to try.

But you don’t. I suppose you were just pretending these past two years so you’d have a warm and willing body in your bed. I’m not even sure what hurts the most any more. Your comment tonight was just the final blow. I’m too heartsick and broken to even pretend anymore, Mac. I guess you’ve wanted me gone this whole time and I was just too blind to see it.

I’ve documented everything that I did tonight so you’ll have an easier time processing my apartment. I wrote out a more official statement and left it on the kitchen table. Don’t worry, our relationship isn’t mentioned there at all. I’ll seal this in an envelope with your name on it so no one else reads it. I don’t want you to lose what you love the most.

I don’t got the right to ask anything of you but keep an eye on Aiden for me. She’s the only one I’m sorry for leaving. Aiden never doubted me but it isn’t enough. Please take care of her for me.

I know I shouldn’t but I still love you, Mac. I still love you and always will.


	2. Chapter 2

Don Flack pounded on the apartment door again, biting back several colorful curses. He’d seen his best friend leave the lab looking like he had finally been broken but Flack had been grabbed by IAB before he could try and go after Danny. For some reason they wanted to rehash the subway shooting and it took close to an hour for Flack to escape. He was really worried about Danny, who seemed more contained every time he came into work. Flack knew there was something really bothering Danny but he could barely get two words out of his friend unless they were work related and, even then, Flack knew it was a front.

He finally used the key that he’d swiped from Danny’s hiding place a couple months back and let himself in. “Hey Messer,” he called shutting the door behind himself. “Danny, its Flack. We need to talk.”

The apartment has a dead feel to it. Flack’s heart about stopped when he found Danny on the bed, a note on his chest and an empty pill bottle next to him. “Damn it,” Flack exclaimed. He ran to his friend and checked for a pulse. “Don’t do this to me, Danny-boy. Don’t give up on me.” There was a faint flutter under his fingers. Flack called for an ambulance and then could do nothing else but sit and wait. He picked up the papers that had been resting on Danny’s chest. Wanting to know what was going through Danny’s mind he started to read. Flack realized it wasn’t a suicide note but a letter to Mac but kept reading anyway. Then he tucked it into the inner pocket of his suit jacket and took out his cell phone again. Flack called Aiden and asked her to meet him at the hospital and stay with Danny. She didn’t even question him but agreed immediately. Flack had other business to take care of.  
********************

Mac growled at the furious barrage of knocking on his door at one in the morning. He opened the door ready to rip into whoever was so stupid as to bother him at that time of day and went flying back as a fist connected with his left cheek bone. Before Mac could recover he was grabbed and slammed up against the wall.

“What the hell did you say to him, Mac?” Flack growled. “What did you tell Messer tonight?”

“I don’t see where it’s any business of yours,” Mac replied. “What right do you have to come barging into my apartment and assault me?”

“I’ll tell you what gives me the right, Mac,” Flack said. “The simple fact that because of you my best friend is lying in the hospital connected to machines to keep him alive. My best friend might die at any moment and it’s all your fault you selfish bastard. Now I want to know what the hell you said to him tonight and what’s been going on since we arrested Sassone.”

“Danny’s been hospitalized?” Mac asked sharply.

“Don’t pretend to care, you won’t be able to see him,” Flack said. “Aiden and me took care of that first thing. It’s a damn good thing I saw him leave the lab tonight ‘cause another half hour and Danny woulda been dead and I woulda beat your head in. You set IAB on me tonight, didn’t you? You didn’t want me to go and talk with Danny.”

“Flack, let’s start at the beginning,” Mac said. “Let me go and we can talk like rational adults.”

The younger detective snarled again and changed his grip, pulling Mac’s arm up a little more. “Not until you tell me what the hell you said to Messer tonight.”

“You want to know, fine,” Mac snapped, his own temper starting to show. “Messer came to me to let me know he’d finally done his mandatory counseling visit. He told me he thought it went good. Then he asked about himself and me; if we were okay.”

“What did you tell him, Mac?”

“The truth,” Mac said. “I said that we’d see.”

Flack spun Mac away, his crystal blue eyes meeting the shorter detective’s. “You bastard,” he hissed. “You did it on purpose didn’t you? I hope you’re happy. My best friend is at death’s door thinking no one cares about him or wants him around no more.”

Flack pulled away so quickly that Mac fell to the floor. He jumped as three pages of very familiar handwriting fluttered down in front of him. “I should beat the shit outta you,” Flack said. “But I’m going back to the hospital and talk to Danny. He’s gonna know that he ain’t alone no matter what’s been put in his head. And yes, I did read it.”

Mac could do nothing but blink as the young homicide detective stormed out of his apartment. He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t been called when Danny was admitted to the hospital as he held next-of-kin and power of attorney for the younger man. With a small sigh he picked up the papers, put them in order and stood only to sink into the nearest chair as he started to read.

He tried to tell himself that he hadn’t known how Danny was feeling but Mac knew it was a lie. Like a movie he saw himself stopping Danny in the halls time and again to yell at him for some minor mistake he’d made on a case. Mac saw the fire slowly dying in Danny’s eyes. He saw the younger man leave over and over, shoulders slumping more each time and realized that Danny had stopped looking back at him. Danny had slowly given up the hope that Mac might call him back, or call him at all, and acknowledge him. Mac saw the dark circles growing under Danny’s eyes but, until then, he’d ignored it.

He had failed Danny.

And Danny had given up. Because of Mac’s actions and words, Danny had given up and given into the darkness that had been slowly engulfing him.

Mac had known what he was doing every moment and he had no excuse for any of it. He’d been more concerned about the lab than the young man he’d been sleeping with for two years. Mac did know that Danny didn’t have the Tanglewood tattoo but just the implication of a connection had rattled Mac and he’d kicked Danny out that night – for good.

**Flashback**

“Hey Mac,” Danny called as he let himself into his lover’s apartment. “Are you home?”

“In the living room, Danny.”

“I hear you closed your case,” Danny said. He kicked off his shoes and settled down with a sigh. He leaned over and kissed Mac, frowning when he got no response. “What’s wrong?”

“You need to leave, Danny,” Mac said. 

“What?”

“Give me your key and leave. It’s over, Danny.”

“What’s over?”

“Us, our relationship,” Mac said. “This was a mistake. You need to leave now and don’t come back.”

Danny blinked a couple of times. “A mistake?” he finally managed.

“Yes,” Mac snapped. He dug Danny’s keys out of his pocket and took off the one for his apartment. “Now get out, Danny. I’ll see you at the lab for your shift.”

“A mistake,” Danny repeated like he couldn’t believe it. “You think falling in love was a mistake?”

Mac threw Danny’s keys at him, hitting and slicing the younger man’s cheek. “It isn’t love, Danny,” he said coldly. “It never was. I’m not going to say it again. Get out.”

“You know what, fine,” Danny said, his shoulders slumping a little. “I hope you come to your senses, but I doubt you will. Bye, Mac.”

**End Flashback**

Danny had come to the lab the next day with a bandage on his face and brushed off Stella’s questions by saying he’d accidently cut himself with a knife and had to get a couple of stitches. And Mac hadn’t seen Danny smile, look happy or even try and talk with anyone other than Aiden since that night. It had hurt to push Danny away as he had but Mac had managed to convince himself it was for the best. He didn’t have an excuse for the hall lectures; he could have and should have called Danny into his office to talk with him.

Danny always acted so tough that Mac hadn’t realized exactly how much the younger man was hurting. The letter in front of him spoke of someone who had been broken completely and was tired of trying to live with the pain. And the thin line of ink at the end of the last line showed that Danny had been writing it when he passed out. Mac wondered what else his young lover, ex-lover, wanted to tell him.

Mac had seen the hope in Danny’s eyes when he’d stopped by his office after shift. Danny really had been hoping Mac would be willing to attempt to forgive him. And all Mac had done was cut him down again. Mac had watched Danny walk away; shoulders slumped so far forward it was like the younger man was trying to hide away from everything. Mac realized with a jolt that his last words to Danny might be we’ll see. Two words said in a monotone but more than enough to finally push Danny over the edge. Mac had to get to the hospital.


	3. Chapter 3

Danny’s stomach had been pumped. He was on a heart monitor, breathing tube, four IVs, a brain monitor and some other things Aiden didn’t even recognize and didn’t want to think about. She sat on the edge of the bed so she could hold Danny’s hand while she talked to him.

“You know, Messer, when you told me you had it all under control I never thought this is what you meant,” she was saying. “You coulda told me how bad you was hurting and I woulda listened to you. I never once believed any of the crap that was going ‘round the labs ‘bout you and was telling people off if I heard ‘em talking. I’ve always got your back, Danny, and I know you got mine. Why’d you do this, Danny? What’s hurt you so bad that you wanna leave me like this? Flack’s gonna be back any time now and I know he’d love to see your eyes open and you talking with me. You really scared him tonight you know. He’s the one that found you and got you to the hospital. We’ve done everything we can, Messer. It’s all up to you now but I have to believe you can hear me. Don’t you leave me like this, Messer. I need you at the lab as my partner in crime. I need you to cheer me up when a date is bad. God, Danny, I don’t know what I’d do without you around.”

“Aiden, how’s it going?” Flack asked from the door.

“I dunno, Don,” Aiden replied. “He’s still in a coma and the doctor says the longer he stays in it the less chance he’ll wake up.”

“Danny’s a fighter, Aiden,” Flack said. “He’s not going to die on us.”

“I woulda agreed this morning but now I’m not so sure,” Aiden said. “Did you find a note or anything, Don? Why’d he do this?”

“I did but it wasn’t a suicide note,” Flack sighed. “It was personal and for Mac. I took it over to him after you got here.”

“You know he’s gonna try to come in here.”

Flack nodded and ran his hand through his hair. “I made sure the nurses know not to let anyone but us in here,” he said. “But it might not be enough. If Mac gets pissed enough he’ll just barge in here anyway.”

“Well, I’m not leaving until Danny wakes up,” Aiden said. “Mac can fire me if he wants but I’m not gonna let Danny down again. Did you call Stella?”

“No,” Flack said. “Why don’t you go do that and I’ll take a turn talking to Danny for a while.”

“Okay, I’ll bring back coffee too.”

Don waited until he was alone before sitting down in the chair next to the bed and rubbing his eyes. “I don’t even know where to start, Danny-boy,” he finally said. “I screwed up. I thought that when you saw me take on those cops in the subway you knew I had your back but I remember what I said and, to you, it musta sounded different. I shoulda phrased things differently but I can’t change what happened. I ain’t doing anything with Mac. Hell, I didn’t even know the two of you was together but I guess it makes sense after some of the things I’ve noticed. Why didn’t you come talk to me when things got so bad, Danny? Why’d you keep everything bottled away like you did? Aiden’s right, Danny. You can’t leave us like this.”

He broke off when he heard loud voices in the hallway and sighed. “Mac got here quicker than I thought he would,” Flack said. “I don’t know if you want to see him or not, Danny. I read your letter and know how you feel about him. But it’s his fault you’re in here like this and I don’t know if I can forgive him for that.”

Mac opened the door to Danny’s room and ran into Flack who was standing there blocking the doorway. “You can’t be in here, Mac,” he said.

“I hold power of attorney,” Mac growled. “You can’t keep me out.”

“Danny changed his paperwork,” Flack said. “He tried to tell you about it but you kept brushing him off. Aiden and I are listed as next of kin and all the other shit they need. And that means we get to pick who sees him and who don’t.”

“Damn it, Flack, I need to talk to him,” Mac said.

“Why? So you can hurt him again? I ain’t stupid, Mac. I may not be a scientist or have more than my high school diploma but I ain’t stupid,” Flack said. “Danny left you that note to tell you good-bye and that means he don’t want to see you again.”

“I need to tell him the truth,” Mac protested. He managed to push past the tall, lanky homicide detective and caught sight of Danny on the hospital bed. His legs gave out from under him when he saw his former lover in the hospital bed. “I did this.”

“Yeah, you did, and for what?” Flack hissed. “If you was sleeping with him then you know he ain’t Tanglewood. That piece of trash’s comments shoulda never made a difference to you. You shoulda trusted Danny implicitly.”

“I had to put him in his place,” Mac said. “He was a loose cannon who wasn’t following orders.”

“He was asking for help and we all ignored him,” Flack said. “Did he ever do anything that would hurt the lab, Mac? Did Messer ever leave a case unfinished or work one when another was more important? You failed him, Mac. When he needed you the most, you failed him. And now he’s gonna die thinking no one loves him.”

“Danny is not going to die,” Mac snapped.

“You broke his spirit, Mac,” Flack said. “You used him until things got too hot politically and then you turned around and kicked him out. Did you even love him? Or was he right and you was just using him until something better came along?”

“I do love him,” Mac protested. “I love him but I don’t know how to fix this.”

“You had your last chance today and you blew it,” Flack said. “He came to you open and willing to try and work things out and you rebuffed him.”

The beeping of the breathing monitor caught Flack’s attention. He spun around and saw dead blue eyes staring at him. “Danny!” he exclaimed. “You’re on a breathing tube, Danny. Don’t fight it. The doctor will be here in a second and we’ll talk. I promise we’ll talk.”

Blue eyes just looked at him and it seemed like Danny had no idea who he was or what he was saying. Flack didn’t know what he’d do if his best friend had brain damage but he and Aiden would find a way to make it work. They’d make sure that Danny was never alone again no matter what.  
********************

Aiden went to the hospital coffee shop to call Stella. She just wanted to let the other member of their team know what was going on.

“Bonasera.”

“Stel, its Aiden. Hey, I’m sorry for calling so late, or early, but Danny in the hospital and we don’t know if he’s gonna make it.”

“What happened?” Stella asked. “I saw him after shift today and he looked sad but healthy.”

“He tried to kill himself,” Aiden replied, her voice breaking on the last word. “Flack found him and we’re just waiting now.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Stella said. “Has anyone called Mac yet?”

“Flack went to see him,” Aiden said. “There’s something odd going on there, Stella. There’s a slow burning anger in Flack’s eyes and I don’t know what’s causing it.”

Stella sighed. “We’ll work it out, Aiden. And get Danny whatever help he needs too. I’ll see you in a bit and I’m bringing coffee.”


	4. Chapter 4

The doctor insisted that Mac leave while he examined Danny but allowed Flack to stay as long as he kept out of the way. The first thing the doctor did was remove the breathing tube and then ran what seemed to be endless tests. During everything Danny’s eyes never left Flack’s face but never showed any sign of recognition either.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” the doctor finally said.

“Thanks Doc,” Flack commented. “I know you hate me right now, Danny, but Mac and his attitude ain’t reason for you to kill yourself.”

“What the hell are you talking ‘bout, Flack?” Danny asked, his voice cracking. “What happened?”

“Danny, what’s the last thing you remember?”

“Mac needed my help with Tanglewood,” Danny replied. “Water?”

Flack grabbed the glass and bent the straw for his best friend. “So you was helping Mac with Tanglewood.”

“Yeah, did they get the killer? What about Aiden’s and my case? Did I get hurt on the job? Where’s Mac? Why ain’t he here?”

“Okay, Danny, calm down. I need you to listen to me,” Flack said. “Mac and Stella managed to find enough evidence to arrest Sonny Sassone and the bastard dropped your name in the interrogation room. I don’t know the details of what happened next but Mac dumped you that night.”

“But Mac knows I ain’t got the tat,” Danny said. “Donnie, what’s going on? I want to talk with Mac,”

“Dan, calm down,” Flack said again. “Look, I came over after work and found you on your bed and you were almost dead. You took a high dose of sleeping pills and left two notes; one was an account of everything you did before you went to bed and the other was an unfinished note to Mac. I think you musta passed out while you was writing it. Now I want the doctor to talk with you before I fill in any more blanks. You’ll hear everything but I hafta know you’re okay first.”

“Please, Donnie, let me see Mac,” Danny said. “I need to see him.”

“All right, Danny, all right. But you’ve lost about three months of memories. Ask Mac for the letter so you can see what you wanted to tell him.”  
********************

Mac was in the waiting room, his face in his hands, when Stella arrived. “Mac?” she asked. “How’s Danny?”

“Awake; the doctor is in with him now,” Mac replied not looking up. “His eyes were dead, Stella. There was nothing in them; no light, no life, no Danny. I don’t even know if he recognized Flack. This is all my fault and I don’t know what I can do to make it right.”

“Hey, look at me,” Stella said. “It is not your fault, Mac. You couldn’t have known Danny was going to try and kill himself.” She gasped when he looked over at her. There were tears in his eyes and a dark bruise on his cheek. “What happened to you?” 

“Flack. I deserved it Stella, so don’t get mad at him,” Mac said. “Maybe I should just let Don beat me up so I can get rid of some of this guilt.”

“It’s not your fault,” Stella insisted.

“You don’t know all the facts, Stella, so don’t say things like that until all the evidence is in,” Mac snapped. “I had a choice to make tonight. I made the wrong one and now Danny’s paying for it. This is all my fault and I’ll do anything to make it right again.”

“Danny wants to see you, Mac,” Flack said from the doorway. “The doctor says you can talk to him as long as you don’t upset him.”

“Why?”

“Because something happened and Danny don’t remember anything from the moment you first asked him about that bogus Tanglewood tat. He don’t remember what you’ve done to him. The doctor is concerned about what might happen if you trigger the memories before we can work out his state of mind.”

Mac sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Are you going to trust me enough to let me talk with him alone, Flack?”

“I’m going to be right outside the door,” Flack replied with a scowl. “I hear that heart monitor change and I’m coming in. That ain’t open to any argument.”

Mac nodded and made his way out of the waiting room slowly, moving like he had aged in the few hours since Stella had last seen him. She turned to Flack. “Do you have to be so hard on him, Don? It’s pretty obvious he’s hurting right now.”

“He’s hurting,” Don snorted. “He put Danny in the hospital, Stella. I’ve got to go. Aiden should be here in a bit.”  
********************

No matter how hard Danny tried he couldn’t remember anything after Mac had asked him about that Tanglewood tattoo and it bothered him. He didn’t want to believe that his lover had kicked him out for any reason but also knew that Flack wouldn’t lie to him. He looked over when the door opened and Mac peeked in. “Mac,” he said, relieved. “Can you tell me what the hell is going on? Why weren’t you here when I woke up? Don’t you love me?”

Mac closed the door and sank into the chair next to the bed. “I was here, Danny, but the doctor asked me to leave,” he said. “You changed your paperwork to give Don and Aiden your power of attorney so they’ve been taking care of everything for you.”

“When did I do that?” Danny asked.

“I don’t know, Danny,” Mac admitted. “Flack said you tried to tell me but I wouldn’t listen to you. I think you’ll have to ask him for those details.”

“This is so messed up,” Danny said. “You guys all know more than I do and it ain’t fair. Flack said I had to ask you for the letter so I’d know what was going through my mind tonight but I don’t know that I want to read it.”

“You should, Danny,” Mac said. “I did some horrible things to you, things I’m not proud of and wish I could take back. I hurt you so many times that you broke, Danny. It’s my fault you’re in here.” He took the folder papers out of his jacket pocket and handed them to Danny. “You need to read this. I don’t know that it’ll bring back your memories or not but you need to see it.”

Danny took the papers and sat staring down at them for a moment. “Before I do, Mac, could you do something for me?”

“Anything, Danny.”

“Could you kiss me?” Danny asked. “Please, I need to feel you in some way.”

Mac’s breath caught in his throat and he buried his face in his hands, tears falling. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d kissed his lover, felt those lips against his own, the scratch of the goatee against his face. And Danny was so innocent of all the pain that he’d been feeling for the past three months. “I can’t, Danny,” Mac finally managed to say. “Not until your memory comes back. I don’t want to take advantage of you like this. You need to remember everything before you make the decision to let me back into your life or kick me away forever.”

“Why would I do that? I love you, Mac,” Danny said softly.

The same words were written at the end of the letter. Mac didn’t know exactly how or why the younger man still loved him, how he could love him, or even want to be in the same room with him but Danny did. Even after everything Mac had said and done to Danny at the lab the younger man still loved him. Mac cringed as he thought about his words to Danny the night he had kicked his lover out. “I love you too,” Mac whispered. He stood and walked over to the bed. “You’ve got a scar here on your right cheek, Danny. The night the Tanglewood case was over you came to my apartment and I kicked you out. I threw your keys at you and cut you badly enough that you needed to get stitches. And you lied to everyone at the lab about what happened. I told you that I didn’t love you, that I never had and our relationship was a mistake.”

Danny reached out and wiped a tear off Mac’s face. “Did I know you were lying?” he asked.

“I don’t know, Danny, I honestly don’t,” Mac said. “But I just kept hurting you. I did everything in my power to make you miserable and hurt you. And I succeeded. I broke your spirit and you tried to kill yourself. If it wasn’t for Flack you would have left us forever. Read the letter, Danny, and then we’ll talk.”  
********************

Out in the hall Flack could hear the conversation and almost stormed into the room when he heard Danny ask Mac to kiss him. The urge grew stronger as the silence stretched out but then Flack’s ears caught the sound of someone crying and it wasn’t Danny. The detective settled back against the wall and listened. It seemed like Mac was going to respect Danny enough to let the other man work out what had been happening rather than just pressing his advantage. But, then again, Mac also knew what Flack would do to him if Danny was hurt further.

“Flack.”

“Stella.”

“What the hell is going on? Why is Mac so convinced that this is his fault?” Stella asked.

“Because it is,” Flack said. “Haven’t you noticed how he’s been treating Danny these past few months, Stella? You tend to keep an eye on everyone in the lab. Why didn’t you notice anything was wrong?”

“I did and I asked Mac about it but he told me it was nothing.”

Flack snorted and turned his attention back to the room for a moment. He could hear Mac and Danny talking again and Mac was telling Danny to read the letter he’d written before the pills took effect. “It was nothing,” Flack finally said. “Well it sure looks like something now, don’t it? I ain’t saying nothing more. You’ll have to ask Mac if you want the details.”

“He said that he should just let you beat him up,” Stella said. “Where would he get such a stupid idea from?”

“Because I told him that’s what’d happen if Danny died or he hurts Danny again,” Flack said. “And I’m standing by that statement too. Hey, Aiden, Danny’s awake.”

“Oh thank god,” Aiden said hugging Flack. “How long has he been awake? What did the doctor say? Can I see him?”

“About an hour, he’s still running some things through the lab and in a bit,” Flack said. “He wanted to see Mac first and he’s in there now. That’s why I’m out here.”

Aiden frowned. “If he hurts Danny again so help me….”

“I know,” Flack said. “Aiden, why don’t you fill Stella in for me? I’m going to stay here and make sure everything’s okay.”

“All right, here’s a couple of doughnuts for you,” Aiden said. “They were out of danishes.”

“Thanks for going, Aiden,” Flack said. “I know you didn’t want to.”

“Hey, we can’t help Danny if we’re starvin’,” Aiden grinned. “Did he really seem okay, Don?”

“He’s lost some time but I’m sure it’ll come back when we least expect it,” Flack said. “Danny don’t remember anything Mac’s done to him since Tanglewood.”

“And you left them in there alone?”

“Mac knows I’m out here,” Flack replied. “And he’s being good. The doctor don’t want us trying to trigger any of Danny’s memories just yet. He ain’t sure what it’ll do to him after a suicide attempt like this.”

“Okay,” Aiden said. “Come on, Stella, let’s go talk.”  
********************

Danny put the paper down and closed his eyes. He knew it was his handwriting, even the shaky part at the end, which was no doubt the pills starting to take effect but he didn’t recognize any of the emotions he’d seen in the letter. Maybe the amnesia was a blessing because it would let him move forward with Mac and rebuild their relationship. He frowned a little at the tickle that seemed to be an image of a man dressed all in silver. Danny opened his eyes and glanced over at Mac. “Who’s the silver guy?” he asked.

“What silver guy?”

“I dunno, its some old guy dressed all in silver,” Danny replied. “Looks like he’s leaning up a wall or something.”

“The living statue,” Mac said guilt lacing through him. “I’m so sorry, Danny. It was a case you and Aiden were working. The man died of natural causes. I told you to hand it over because it was a misdemeanor and move onto the next case waiting for you. And you didn’t. You stayed with it. You found out that someone had been abusing the man’s corpse and closed the case. At the end of the day I stopped you in the hall and lectured you in front of everyone. I didn’t care enough about you to take you into the office and reprimand you in private. And that was just the first time. I don’t know how many time I did that to you. I failed you, Danny.”

“You can’t keep beating yourself up over this, Mac,” Danny said.

“Danny, it’s my fault you’re in here,” Mac said. “Look, Flack and the others don’t want me to trigger your memories because they don’t know what its going to do to you and I want to respect that.”

“I want to know,” Danny said. “I don’t remember anything that I put in here. I just can’t believe that it all happened. How do we know it wasn’t all a bad dream?”

“Because everyone is remembering the same thing,” Mac sighed. “Flack, Aiden, me and Stella. If it wasn’t for Flack I wouldn’t have you with me. My last words to you would have been we’ll see.”

“Now explain that,” Danny insisted.

“Every time I’d yell at you in the hall, you’d walk away from me,” Mac said. He rubbed his eyes. “At first you’d look back almost as if you were hoping that I’d call you back or give you some signal that I’d be willing to forgive you. Then you’d just walk away. You stopped looking back, Danny. You realized that I wasn’t going to call you back. Last night you came to my office to let me know you’d completed your required psych evaluation and thought it had gone well. Then you asked if we were okay. I told you that we’d see. You left with your shoulders slumped and I could see the defeat in your eyes and posture. Flack found you unconscious on your bed and got you in here. I drove you to this, Danny. This is all my fault.”

“Why’d I have to have a psych eval?” Danny asked.

“You were involved in a shooting,” Mac sighed. “Another officer was killed.”

“I killed a cop?” Danny asked.

“No, Danny, no,” Mac said quickly. “Calm down, breathe. If you get too upset Flack’s gonna pull me out of here. Your bullet hit him in the shoulder, Danny. There was so much confusion that you didn’t hear him ID himself. He was dirty, Danny. He was a dirty, cop.”

“I don’t remember it,” Danny said trying to take a couple of deep breaths. “Is there still some water there?”

Mac picked up the glass and held it so Danny could drink. Then he set it down and cupped Danny’s cheek gently. “Truthfully, Danny, I wouldn’t mind if you never remember it. We got so off track. I was so focused on protecting the lab that I let you feel like I didn’t have you covered. I kept you from talking with your friends and never asked how you were doing. And I didn’t realize how badly I screwed up until I saw you come out of the interview room from talking with IAB against my orders. I told you to stay silent until we were done processing the evidence but you didn’t because you thought that all I cared about was protecting the lab. I failed you so badly, Danny. I don’t know how you can still love me.”

“What about this part here?” Danny asked pointing to part of the letter.

“I never meant to tell you,” Mac said. “But when I was done lecturing you, again, I told you that I had been strongly advised not to hire you. And then I made what was probably the worst mistake I could’ve made. I told you that I was doubting my decision to hire you. I made it sound like I didn’t want you in the lab any more.”

“His name is Lieutenant James Bensen,” Danny said. “He’s made it his life’s work to make sure that Louie goes to jail. And he was always positive that I was just as dirty as Louie and decided to make my life a living hell.”

“You’re right, Danny,” Mac said. “I never believed a word Bensen said. You were top of your class, Danny. You earned your place in the lab. And you found your place in my heart too.”

Danny put his hand over Mac’s and turned his head to kiss the palm. “Mac, it seems like I did this because I didn’t want to see something in your eyes anymore,” he said. “Looking at you now all I see is sadness and it pains me.”

“It’s because of what you did, Danny,” Mac said. “And how I failed you. I lied to you, I did everything I could to make you uncomfortable at work and I hurt you.”


	5. Chapter 5

Flack leaned into the room. "Mac, the doctor wants to do some more tests," he said. "Means you gotta leave."

"Don, why'd I change my papers?" Danny asked, trying to hold onto Mac. "When did I do all this?"

"About a month ago you came to my place and asked if you could talk to me," Flack replied. He shut the door behind him and leaned on it with a sigh. "You came clean 'bout your relationship with Mac, what'd happened between you and that you needed someone you trusted to hold all your paperwork. You'd already filled out the changes, just needed me to sign 'em, so I did. I wasn't gonna just leave you hanging like that, Messer. You also talked to Aiden not long after that and had her included on the forms. I think you wanted to be sure that one person wouldn't be making all the calls anymore."

"So why don't Mac know about it?" Danny asked.

"You tried to tell him," Flack said, staring at Mac. "Got to work early, stayed late, tried to catch him, but he wouldn't hold still for you to talk to him for two minutes. Always just told you to get to work and stop goofing off in the halls."

Mac winced and looked down at his hands. He hadn't realized that Danny really needed to talk to him about something important. He'd thought it was going to be asking to get back together or something along those lines. "I'm sorry, Danny, but I let myself be blinded," Mac said. He pulled away gently. "I'll be with the others when the tests are done, Danny. I won't leave until you're better, but Flack's a better choice to be helping you right now. He has your best interests at heart."

"Mac," Danny started.

"It's the truth, Danny," Mac said firmly. "I know we're not supposed to trigger your memories of the missing time, but it's true. Everything that Flack's told you is true, that letter you wrote is true and you need to trust your best friend to watch out for you, now more than ever."

Flack moved away so Mac could leave the room. "I wouldn't wish these memories on no one, Danny," he said when they were alone, "but I think you're gonna have to remember if you wanna get back together with Mac. He ain't gonna do anything until he's sure you forgive him for what he's done."

"How'd I get into such a mess?" Danny asked, slumping into his pillows. "I mean, seriously, how'd this all happen? Mac and me, we was happy together. I even have a key to his place. How many people can say that Mac Taylor trusts them that much?"

"You had a key, Danny," Flack said. "Mac took it back when he cut your face. I always wondered how you managed to cut your upper cheekbone with a knife, but I didn't question 'cause I knew you'd tell me when you wanted me to know. You did, the night you came over with the papers. You asked me not to hurt Mac, told me he'd come around 'cause he knew you didn't have the tat and I watched you fall apart, Danny. I shoulda said something then."

"Would it have done any good?" Danny asked as the doctor came in.

"Mac might've listened to me," Flack replied. "I'm gonna be with you through all these tests, Danny. I ain't leaving your side 'til I'm sure you're feeling better."


	6. Chapter 6

"It's a type of amnesia," the doctor said when Danny and Flack were back in Danny's room after a battery of tests. "It's not common, but at the same time it's also not rare. No one is really sure what triggers it, the mind is still such a mystery even with as advanced as science is, but every time I've seen it in a patient, there's been a combination of severe stress, emotional trauma and an attempt at suicide."

"So you're saying I might never remember," Danny said.

"From what your friends tell me, you've been recalling bits and pieces already," the doctor said. "I stand by what I said, Detective Messer; I don't want anyone trying to trigger these memories because that could be more traumatic for you than anything you've been through so far, but if you remember on your own, then I don't have any problem with them explaining the facts to you. I'm going to keep you for observation for another day or two and then I'd like for you to have someone stay with you for another week, just to be safe."

Danny snorted. "Somehow I don't think that's gonna be a problem, Doc," he said, looking at Flack.

"In that vein, I don't believe it would be a good idea for Detective Taylor to be the one to stay with you," the doctor said. "Given the emotional link to him, it's entirely possible that his presence could trigger the memories far faster than you can deal with, and I'd rather not lose you, Detective Messer. Not after you woke up when I wasn't expecting you to, and especially not when three months memory loss seems to be the only side effect of your suicide attempt."

"Danny's got a hard head," Flack commented. "It'd take a lot to do him damage. I'll stay with him, Doc. I've got some vacation owing and I can take it with no problem. We're in a slow patch right now."

The doctor nodded. "That sounds like it will work out well," he said. "Detective Messer, are you comfortable with that arrangement? Your feelings on this are the most important."

"I'd really like to have Mac with me," Danny admitted, "but don't know that I can look at him and see that much hurt, sad and guilt directed at me right now. I know that Flackie will look after me better than I do for myself at times. Yeah, it'll be fine. Just, can Mac visit? You're not going to tell me I can't see him at all, are you?"

"You can see him," the doctor said. "I'll speak with Detective Taylor and let him know the rules I want followed until we're sure you're not going to try this again, Detective Messer."

"I know you can't believe me when I say I won't, but I won't," Danny said. "I don't know why I did this time."

The doctor sighed. "That's something you have to rediscover for yourself, and honestly, Detective Messer, that's when I'm afraid you might try again," he said. "You're feeling well now because you don't remember the events or emotions that led you to try and end your own life. It's entirely possible that, when you do recall them, you'll try again. It's why I don't want you alone."

"I'll keep him safe," Flack said. "Danny ain't gonna be able to move without me with him for a long time."


	7. Chapter 7

Mac looked up when the doctor walked into the waiting room. "How's Danny?" he asked. "I know you can't tell me details, but generally."

"His tests are coming back normal," the Doctor replied. "He'll be able to go home in two days, sooner if he continues to improve at the rate he is now, but he's not to be left alone for a long time. I understand you're his boss as well, Detective Taylor."

"I am."

"Detective Flack has said that he's going to stay with Danny while he's recovering. Will that be a problem at work?"

"No, when Danny is cleared to return to work, he'll be kept in the lab for the first month or so while he's evaluated by the department, most likely Stella over there, because she's not personally involved in the case," Mac said. "As long as Danny is talking with a professional he trusts, I won't force him to talk with the department doctors before I return him to field duty."

The doctor nodded. "I'm hesitant to say when he'll be ready to return to work," he said. "My greatest fear is that, when Danny rediscovers the memories that drove him to his suicide attempt tonight, he'll try again. He says he won't, but there's always the possibility that he will."

"In other words, we need to make sure that he's worked through everything before we even attempt to bring him back to the lab," Mac said. "Is there someone you recommend for him to talk to? Danny doesn't trust easily."

"There's a wonderful doctor here that I'll have visit with him tomorrow. I think she'll have the best luck working with Danny so he can heal. It might not be a bad idea for you to talk with someone as well, Detective Taylor," the doctor said. "From what I've overhead, there's quite a mess that has to be fixed before the danger is passed."

"I've got a lot of work to do to be able to forgive myself for what I've done," Mac sighed. "I've got someone I can talk to that I trust."

"Good. Now, what about your two friends down there?" the doctor asked. "Do I need to speak with them about finding someone they trust to talk to? This isn't normally part of my job, but an attempted suicide with complications such as we're facing make me overly cautious. The last thing I want is for anyone to make Danny feel guilty about anything."

Mac looked at Stella and Aiden. They had been talking quietly for a while and he was starting to worry that they were plotting again. "Aiden is one of Danny's best friends," he said. "She blames me for this mess and won't do anything to hurt Danny, but I'll talk to her. If you could talk to Stella though, that would be a help. We haven't told Stella everything, and probably won't for a while. I'd like to stay out of the hospital until I'm sure Danny's fully healed."

"One of those, is she?" the doctor asked with an understanding smile.

"Mother to the core," Mac replied with a nod.


	8. Chapter 8

Danny and Don both looked over when there was a tap on the door. "Can I come in?"

"Hey Stella, they didn't tell me you were here," Danny said with a smile.

"Nowhere else I want to be, Danny," Stella said. She shut the door behind her and moved to the bed. "So, the Doctor tells me that you've lost three months and we're not to tell you about it unless you come up with a memory on your own."

"Yep, they're worried I'll try and kill myself again," Danny said with a sigh. "I'm still trying to work out why I did it this time 'round and they're worried about next time."

"It's a fair concern, Danny," Stella said. She perched on the edge of the bed and took his hand. "None of us at work knew you were hurting so badly, but now that we do know, we can help you get better."

Don nodded. "Danny and me are going to be Siamese twins for a while, Stel," he said.

"That's good, Don, I know you'll be able to help Danny a lot," she said. "Now, all that aside, I know there's still a secret that I don't know about, and I'm not going to push to be let in on it, but Danny, I've got to tell you that you guys should ease up on Mac a little. He's really worried about you."

"Yeah, I know he is," Danny said. "Maybe we'll tell you some day, Stella, but right now I don't think it's a good idea. Not when everything is so messed up, you know. I gotta get my head right, and that ain't gonna be easy."

"Especially as you're crazy to begin with," Don commented.

"Old news, Flackie," Danny said. 

"So you say, Danny," Flack grinned. "Stella, we're gonna do what we're gonna do and that's that. The doctor's agreed that Danny's got a sound plan in place long as he has someone with him, and agreed I'd be a safe one to be with him. Anyone else there's a risk of triggering these memories too quick and Danny wouldn't have time to deal with the emotions."

Stella nodded. "So they're hoping the memories come back slowly and spaced far enough apart to give Danny time to remember the emotions he felt then and reincorporate them into his current frame of mind."

"Yeah, exactly," Flack said. "You all can visit, we'll be staying at Danny's place when he's out of here, but the visits should be short and no more than a couple of hours at first. We're hoping we can make 'em longer as Danny starts remembering and is feeling better."

"Are you okay with everyone dictating your life, Danny?" Stella asked.

He shrugged. "I know I got problems I gotta deal with. Sounds like I tried to deal a little more finally than most people want to see, but from what I've seen so far, I was at peace with my decision," he said. "Now I gotta live with the consequences of it."

"That's not really an answer," Stella said.

"I know, but it's the best I got right now."

"Okay, I'll leave you to try and get some sleep then," Stella said. "Call if you need anything, and think about what I said about Mac, okay?"

"I will," Danny said. He wanted until he was sure she wasn't near the door and looked over at Flack. "You ain't told her?"

"Nope, and I'm not planning to. That's up to you and Mac to decide."

"Huh, I wonder if Aiden's said anything."

"I think if she had, Stella would already be on the warpath," Flack pointed out.

"Yeah, you got a point," Danny agree.


	9. Chapter 9

The last thing Mac wanted to do was leave the hospital while Danny was still there, but he had to go to the lab to work on the schedule for the next few weeks so everything would be covered and still ensure that Danny had a job to come back to. Hiding the suicide attempt from the department wouldn't be easy, but Mac figured it was the best thing in the long run, as long as Danny was evaluated by doctors and Stella when he was ready to try and come back to work. The last thing Mac was going to do was let Danny's career be thrown again.

"Can I come in?" he asked, tapping on the door.

"Yeah," Danny said. "Wondered where you got to."

"I've been talking with Aiden," Mac said. "She's promised not to kill me as long as I never hurt you again."

Flack snorted. "More than you're going to get from me right now," he said.

"That's fine, Flack," Mac said. "Danny, I wanted to let you know that I'm going to head over to the lab and start working to get you sick leave and your vacation time. I'm afraid if we report this to the department they'll find a way to fire you without making it appear that they're discriminating against you."

"It's not like they don't have it in for me already," Danny sighed.

"I'll take care of it," Mac said. "The doctor says he doesn't know when you'll be ready to come back, but I'm going to plan on a month of leave for you. That will leave you a few sick days and a couple of vacation days as well that we can use if we need to. I wish I could just give you the time and put it in as personal leave, but the brass would start questioning that before too long."

"Whatever you want to do," Danny said.

Mac frowned. "Danny, should you be this listless?" he asked. "Flack, what did the doctor say about this?"

"Nothing," Flack said. He grabbed the call button and pushed it. "He was fine a couple of minutes ago. Danny, come on and sit up for me."

"I'm tired," Danny said.

"Yeah, too bad." Flack grabbed him and pulled him into an upright position.

Mac grabbed a towel and poured some of the ice water on it. "Don, I think the chemicals are still in his blood stream," he said, wiping down Danny's face and neck. "He's going under again."

"Damn it," Flack growled. "Don't you dare die on me now, Messer. You got a lot to do yet, including beating me on the courts. You ain't won a game in months and I'm waiting for payback."

"What's going on?" the doctor asked, hurrying in.

"He's back under," Mac replied. "I don't think all the drugs are out of his system."

"Keep talking to him, both of you," the doctor said. He yelled out the door for a crash cart and various drugs. "All right, let me in there. Keep talking, you have to anchor him here."

Both Mac and Don talked, playing off each other with stuff about work and cases that they'd been on together, not having anything else they'd both be able to talk about quickly and easily. The doctor worked on Danny, using a couple of different drugs to try and get him to wake up and finally pulled back with a sigh.

"He's back in a coma," he said. "His blood work was showing as clear of drugs, so I don't know how this happened. Let me run a few more tests and we'll see what they show."

"Doctor, how badly does this set him back?" Mac asked.

"It's possible he won't wake up again," the doctor replied. "I'll put a rush on these tests. I want to know what happened here. Detective Flack, he didn't take anything, did he?"

"He's been drinking water off and on," Flack said. "From the pitcher that Mac used to wipe down his face to try and keep him awake."

"Let me have the cloth as well," the doctor said. "I'm sorry, both of you, but until I get the tests back, I won't know what our options are."

Mac looked over at Don, who sighed. "Yeah, you can stay," he said. "We're going to take turns talking to him until he wakes up again. I'm damned if I'm losing my best friend like this."


	10. Chapter 10

Mac sat in the chair next to Danny's bed and just stared down at his lover. He wasn't even sure if he should be thinking about the young man in such a way, but he couldn't help it. The whole mess, everything that had happened had shown Mac one thing, and that was how much he loved the younger man. It wasn't natural to see Danny so still, so quiet, and Mac didn't even know where to begin with talking. "What do I say, Flack?" he asked softly. He took Danny hand and laced their fingers together. "How do I even start talking to him?"

"I dunno, Mac," Flack replied from the other side of the bed. "Danny's been hurting so much and none of us saw how much he was hiding away. I didn't know he was having all those problems with the lab staff, did you?"

"No, and I plan to have a firm talk with everyone when I'm sure that Danny's going to be okay," Mac said. "I know why he didn't try to talk to me about it, but I don't understand why he didn't tell Stella. She would have put everyone straight without even checking with me first."

"He would have had to explain why he was having the problems and that would have hurt you," Flack said. "Danny don't want to do that, no matter how much he was hurting, he don't want you hurt."

"Seeing him like this hurts me," Mac said. "I know that Danny didn't have any reason to think that it would, but it does. I still love him, Flack and I don't even know if I have a right to feel that way anymore."

"Danny never stopped loving you, Mac," Flack said. "Listen, I ain't a relationship expert and I still want to hurt you for what you've done, but until I've got Danny back, I'm gonna ignore all that and focus on how to help him the best. You're the first person he asked for when he woke up last time, so you're here. I don't know what put him back under, but this ain't right, Mac. Something happened to him and I want to know what."

"I can answer part of that, Detective Flack," the Doctor said from the doorway. He held up a folder. "This is the lab report on the water that Danny was drinking. Can I show it to Detective Taylor?"

Flack shrugged. "Yeah, sure, go ahead," he said.

Mac took the folder and opened it. "Doctor, how many times did you run these samples?" he asked, reading the report.

"Three times," the Doctor said. "From both the glass Danny was using and the pitcher."

"Mac?" Flack asked.

"There was poison in the water, Don," Mac replied. "Now, none of us would put it there, so that means it had to come from an outside source. Doctor, where's the person who brought the water in for Danny?"

"She's home for the night," the Doctor said. "One of our volunteers from the local high school. I've ordered treatment for Danny based on these results, but if there were lingering traces of the sleeping pills still in his system."

"Then he might never wake up," Mac finished. "Doctor, we're going to need the name of the volunteer. Flack, you think you could get a warrant based on this information?"

Flack looked grim. "I know a judge, yeah," he said. "Let me make a few phone calls. Think Stella and Aiden can take care of this if I send another detective I trust along?"

"Don, just try and stop them," Mac said.


	11. Chapter 11

Aiden looked back at Detective Kaile Maka. "You got the warrant?"

"Ready and waiting," Kaile replied. She stepped up and knocked on the apartment door. "Mr. Samuels?"

"Yes, can I help you?"

Kaile held up her badge. "NYPD, we need to speak with your daughter and we have a warrant to search your apartment," she said.

"What? On what grounds?"

"One of the patients your daughter was tending to at the hospital tonight was poisoned," Kaile said, thankful they left Stella at the base of the fire escape. "We need to talk with her to find out if she knows anything about the attack, and also if the poison is here in your apartment."

"That's insane. Mindy wouldn't hurt anyone," Samuels replied. "This is an illegal search, I'm calling my lawyer."

Kaile sighed and handed over the warrant. "A judge didn't believe so and issued the warrant for us to search your apartment," she said. "Could you please step out into the hall with this officer, Mr. Samuels, and allow us to do our job? A man is in a coma right now because of the poison in his system and we need to find the container."

Aiden waited until the officer with them had Samuels in hand and slipped into the apartment. "Think anyone else is at home?" she asked, looking around.

"I guess we'll find out," Kaile replied. She looked in the living room and started towards the kitchen. Aiden checked the hall closet and followed, helping to clear the apartment. They checked both bedrooms and the bathroom and found they were empty, but the window in the room that was decorated for a teenager had the window open. "Think Stella got lucky?" Kaile asked.

"One way to find out." Aiden pulled out her radio. "Stella, we're clear up here. No sign of our suspect. Anything down with you?"

"Yeah, I got her," Stella replied. "She wasn't expecting anyone to be waiting for her down here. You good to do the search and I'll take her back to the department?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Aiden said. "Heads up, her father is calling the family lawyer."

Stella's sigh was obvious over the radio. "Then find me the poison and let's put it in her hands."  
***

Aiden slipped into the interrogation room two hours later and found Stella along with a girl about sixteen years old and a man who had to be the family lawyer. "Stel."

"Do you have something for me, Aiden?" Stella asked. "Mindy hasn't wanted to talk with me."

"She doesn't have to say anything," the lawyer said.

"So you keep saying," Stella said. 

"Yeah, here," Aiden said. "I found the bottle of poison in the bottom drawer of Mindy's desk and there's two sets of fingerprints on it. One of them matches to Mindy's. I'm guessing the other belongs to her teacher or the supplier, but with both Detectives Flack and Taylor being in with our victim all night, they would have noticed a strange adult coming in."

"Someone could have added the poison to the water before Mindy picked it up to take to the room."

"That doesn't explain her prints on the bottle, or the bottle in her room," Stella said. "Aiden, how were the prints layered?"

"Mindy's are on top," Aiden said. "She's the last one to handle the bottle."

"How can you tell that?" Mindy demanded.

Stella looked back, surprised. "Your fingerprints have obscured the unknown in three locations," she said. "If someone handled the bottle after you, then their prints would be on top. With this type of bottle, the poison would have come from a supplier or, more likely given your age, your high school chemistry lab. Do you want to tell us how the poison got into your room?"

"She doesn't have to tell you anything," the lawyer repeated.

"No, she doesn't, but the man she poisoned is a CSI and a member of the NYPD," Stella said. "We treat every case seriously, but you've probably heard rumors that we're even more focused when it's one of our own. He dies, Mindy is facing homicide charges. We have enough to hold her while we run a few more tests and talk with the state attorney's office. Officer?"

"Mindy, I'll talk to the judge and have you out for breakfast," the lawyer said.

Aiden shook her head. "You shouldn't say things you can't do, you know."

"What do you mean?" the lawyer asked once Mindy was gone.

"The hospital checked and this isn't the first time a patient that Mindy brought water to has fallen ill," Stella said. "This is just the most serious case because he had a dose of sleeping pills in his system that reacted with the poison, placing him in a coma. The hospital is investigating as well, and has stated that they plan to press charges when they're done. Right now, you'd be doing Mindy a favor telling her to talk to us. She needs help."

"You're not going to fool me like you do the no-brains you bring in off the street."

Stella glanced at Aiden when they were alone. "What do you think? Angel of Mercy?"

"Maybe, but she's twisted no matter what," Aiden replied.


	12. Chapter 12

"Taylor."

"Mac, it's Stella. We found the poison and have the suspect in custody," she said over the phone. "The hospital also got in touch with the department and let us know that there's been ten cases where they suspect that Mindy, the suspect, poisoned someone. They're pressing charges and, in Danny's case, are saying there was a single dose of pills to protect him."

Mac sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Ten cases and they didn't realize it was a problem?" he asked.

"The cases were mild enough that they didn't suspect poison," Stella replied. "Danny is the first case where there's been such a severe reaction, but they did say that in every case the person who was poisoned was an attempted suicide who was recovering. I think that Danny is just the first one to try and kill himself with pills."

"Did Mindy say anything to you?" Mac asked. "Give you a reason that she was doing this?"

"Nope, the family lawyer was in with her," Stella replied. "Aiden and I are wondering if she might be an Angel of Mercy killer and we just happened to catch her before she killed someone. I mean, think about it, her victims all tried to kill themselves. Is it unreasonable to think that she saw it as her duty to end their suffering and help them end their lives?"

"No, and that's a good theory," Mac said. "Unfortunately there's no way to prove it unless she starts talking. And none of this helps Danny. He's in a deeper coma than he was before and the doctor doesn't know if we're going to get him back or not."

Stella swore. "He's strong, Mac. He'll be able to battle back to us. He has to."

"Flack and I are going to take turns sitting with him until he wakes up," Mac said. "Can you handle the lab for a week or so?"

"Sure, no problem," Stella said. "Aiden and I will come and spell you when we can."

"Call me if you get swamped," Mac said.

"We'll be fine, there's the guys from swing who have been wanting to pick up hours. I'll give them a call and have them come in and cover you guys," Stella said. "You need to take care of whatever this mess is, Mac. Don't think you've got me fooled for a minute. There's a secret that you guys are all keeping and I'll let you have it for now, but if it isn't fixed by the time Danny comes back to work, you and I are going to have a long talk."

Mac winced. "Stella."

"Nope, not arguing with you," she said. "I'll keep you in the loop about the case. Talk to you later, Mac."

"What's up?" Flack asked as Mac was putting his phone away.

"They found the poison and the girl who gave it to Danny," Mac said. "Turns out Dan's not the first one she's done this to."

Flack sighed and looked down at his best friend. "Wish there was some way for us to get into that thick skull of his and let him know that we love him and want him back," he said.

"We keep talking to him, Flack," Mac said. He took Danny's hand in both of his. "We keep talking until he wakes up."


	13. Chapter 13

Mac moved down to the foot of the bed and gently extracted Danny's right foot and started to massage it slowly. "It took me weeks to figure out that he loves to have his feet massages, especially after a hard day at work," he said. "Danny never asks for much, but will give everything if you don't watch him."

"What really happened between the two of you, Mac?" Flack asked. "Danny can probably hear us, might do some good for him to hear this, even if he don't remember it when he wakes up."

"I wish I had a firm answer for you, Flack," Mac said. "I mean, something like I didn't love him anymore or some other reason that couples break up. I never stopped loving him. My life was so much darker without him around, but by the time I realized this, I was in too deep to fix anything and it all got away from me. I think I just panicked when I heard even a hint that Danny might have connections that could hurt the lab. You know as well as I do that when people panic they can lash out and do stupid things, and I did." Mac hung his head with a sigh. "Everyone at the lab has this picture of me in their minds of the perfect person. It's like they think I'm not human and will never make mistakes. Danny never did and, ironically enough, hurting him is the biggest mistake I've ever made in my life."

"You know Danny would've talked to you, Mac, why didn't you give him the chance?" Flack asked. "You'd been sleeping with him, you knew there was no tat on his back. Nothing linked him to that scumbag and panic or no, you shoulda trusted him."

"I know I should have, now," Mac said. "Looking back on it rationally I should have done so many things differently, but I was in shock, Flack. There was the possibility that my lover had not only been hiding information from me, but was in a position to hurt the lab. I reacted and it was a bad reaction. You and I both know it was something that should never have happened, but it did. I'm ready to spend the rest of my life making this better for Danny. I know there's a chance that he won't remember anything when he wakes up, that the amnesia might be worse, but there's a chance that this second coma could knock everything back into place and he'll be right back where he was when he tried to kill himself." He stopped and looked down at Danny's foot, mostly to avoid eye contact with Flack. "I've been so blind."

"Yeah, you have," Flack said. "Danny's been hurting bad and you did everything in your power to make it worse. I don't know if I can ever forgive that, Mac."

Mac sighed. "You know what, Flack? I don't know if I can either."


	14. Chapter 14

"When Danny wakes up, say he doesn't want you in his life no more, what are you going to do then?" Flack asked after about half an hour of silence.

"I'll respect his wishes," Mac replied. "I won't say that it won't hurt to work with him and know that I lost his trust and his heart forever, but if he doesn't want me around, then I'll respect that."

"If he wants to leave the city?"

"Flack, no matter what happens when Danny wakes up, I will respect his choices," Mac said. "The only thing I will not do is take him immediately back to my bed and pretend that none of this happened. There's far too many problems that need to be worked through between us to even try and add sex to the mix. Will it be easy for me to do it, of course not. Not knowing what I do now, but Danny knows what he wants and I'm not going to try and stop him unless he tries to hurt himself again. He shouldn't suffer for my mistakes."

"It all sounds so easy when you say it like that," Flack sighed. "I still don't know how he can still love you after everything. I don't think I'd be able to do that."

Mac looked down at the younger man in the bed. "I don't know either, Flack. Danny has such a large heart, he loves so completely that it's possible that it just hadn't died yet and it will when he wakes up," Mac said. "There's no way to know what added effect the poison will have on his system. I know it's possible that he could wake up and remember everything and never want to talk to me again."

"You know that if he ain't fit to take care of himself, you aren't going to be allowed near him," Flack said. 

"I know," Mac said softly. "Danny's lucky to have you as a friend, Flack. Everyone should have someone so loyal by their side in life."

"If IAB hadn't nabbed me tonight we wouldn't be here," Flack said. "I was trying to get to Danny to talk with him, force him to talk it out with me, and those creeps held me back. Just long enough for Danny to clean up, write his note and take the pills."

"I don't know why IAB would have stopped you tonight, Flack," Mac said. "I haven't spoken to them since we cleared up the Minhas case."

Flack snorted. "You're in a better position to find out what the hell they wanted than I am," he said. "I got the impression they thought we was covering something and they were hoping I'd give it up."

"What would we possibly be covering up?" Mac asked. "There haven't been any cases to involve IAB recently. I wonder if this is all because of the one officer in the department that hates the Messer family?"

"I knew the department didn't like Danny for some reason, but he'd never tell me why. It's because of Sassone, ain't it?"

"Danny's father and brother have connections that are questionable at best, and honestly, are ties to the mafia," Mac said. "There's an officer who was a classmate of Danny's brother's and, according to Danny, has made it his life's work to put Louie in jail."

"The whole you were told not to hire Danny bit, huh?" Flack asked.

"Exactly. There were no hints of problems with Danny when he was hired, but he's secretive and maybe there was some tiny part of me that wondered," Mac replied with a sigh. "That may be the cause of this whole mess, Flack. One small doubt magnified into me lashing out and driving Danny away from me."

Flack sighed too. "You're gonna have to figure it out Mac. 'Cause when Danny wakes up again, you know he's gonna be asking questions and you're gonna have to have the answers this time."


	15. Chapter 15

Danny stood in the dark lab and looked around. He wasn't sure what he was doing there, what was going on, but he knew that something wasn't right. He'd never seen the lab so dark and empty before, there was always someone around, some machine running a test and chatter in the background; all of it combining into a dull roar that he'd never consciously noticed before. "Anyone home?" he called, turning in a slow circle. "Aiden? Stella? Flack? Hell, at this point I'd even take Mac. Okay, well, no way in hell I'm going up to autopsy to see if Hawkes is around, creepy enough down here. Don't want to risk running into zombies up in the morgue. Okay, Messer, why the hell did you even have to think about that? Well, I guess it's time to start checking 'round and seeing if anything's working."

He went into the trace lab first, his home away from home, and tried to turn on the lights. The overheads didn't work, but the light table sputtered to life. "That really ain't any less creepy," Danny said. "Still, it's some light and I'll take what I can get right now. So, time to think Danny-boy." He sat down in one of the desk chairs and put his back to the wall, facing the door. "The lab is dark and empty and you have no memory of getting here, so I don't think this is really the lab. I'm not sure what the hell it is, but this ain't the lab. Wonder what would happen if I stopped believing in this chair. Ouch!"

Danny landed on the ground and just stayed there a minute. "Okay, I believe in the lab. I really believe in the lab, especially the nice, solid floor under me," he said. "I don't think I'm dreaming, my dreams ain't nowhere near this lucid, not even when I'm hurt and on pain killers. I don't know what's happened to me, why am I here?" He looked up at the ceiling. "If I'm right and this is my mind, how about giving me a hint or something 'bout why I'm stuck here in this dark, real, very real, lab. I'd take a case folder for a hint. Come on, work with me here."

"Nothing?" he asked after a minute. "All right, fine, I get the hint. I've got to work this out on my own, but I don't get why I gotta be in the dark to do it. Oh, very funny brain. Serious? You picking up on Flackie's sense of humor now? Great, just what I need. Right, fine, I'll start searching around, but this don't make no sense to me. Having someone here to talk to would be nice, but would that be talking to myself? Never been real fond of talking to myself, I never know what the answer is anyway." Danny pushed up off the floor and looked around the trace lab. "Right, so, no clues in here. Figures I couldn't leave myself a note telling me what to do. Guess I'll check my office next, see maybe if there's a hint there or something."

He made his way out into the main hall of the lab and started towards his office, but paused when he heard a clicking noise. "I don't know that I want to look."

"I'm not going to hurt you," a deep voice said from behind him. "You wanted someone to help you out, I'm here to help you out."

"No offense, but what are you?" Danny asked, not turning around. "I mean, I was thinking more like one of my friends or something."

"There's much in here that could hurt you, Danny, but only if you let it," the voice said. "You're right that this is your mind and you're trapped here. A combination of chemicals in your body has pushed you into a deep coma."

Danny thought hard for a minute. "Did I try to kill myself or was that just a really bad dream?" he finally asked.

"You did."

"Well, shit." Danny sat down hard and put his head in his hands. "That's one chemical though, you said a combination."

A dog appeared in front of him. It was a black lab mix with brown eyes that looked sad. "You were poisoned by someone who works in the hospital," the dog said in the deep voice that had been behind him. "Mac and Flack are at your bedside while Stella and Aiden work the case to arrest the one who poisoned you."

"A talking dog," Danny said. "You look a lot like Muttsy."

"It's your mind, why shouldn't I look like the dog you had as a child?" the dog asked.

"Well, Muttsy didn't talk, for one," Danny said.

"Not in a language you understood at the time, no," the dog said. "I'm your link between the lab here and what's happening around your body, Danny. You're deep inside your mind, completely cut off from everything around you."

Danny sighed. "So how do I get back?" he asked. "I mean, what do I gotta do to get out of this dark lab and into the light again? Cause I don't wanna stay here."

"You have to find the answers to the one question haunting you," the dog said. "They're all here, you just have to find them and then find the answer. I'll be at your side until you do."

"You got a name?" Danny asked.

"No."

"I'm gonna call you Yoda then, cause you really sound like him," Danny said. "All right, if I gotta search every part of this lab, might as well get started, yeah?"

The dog sighed. "You need to know what it is you're looking for, Danny."

"Sitting here in the dark ain't gonna help me, is it?"

"Not unless you're thinking hard, no."

"I think better on my feet." Danny pushed up and started towards his office again. "I got nowhere else to start, so I'll think while I'm looking around. You ain't panicky, so I got time?"

"Your body is stable, yes. I wouldn't advise taking months with the search, however."

"TIme run the same in here as out there?"

"Yes."

"All right, sooner I get looking, the sooner I got answers, the sooner I'm out there. Come on, Yoda; let's go on a quest."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, everyone, for your patience in waiting for updates on my stories. I've been finishing up a novel that will be available on amazon soon. If you've read my Dragon Chronicles, you saw that I have a dragon novel as well. The first one is available on amazon, and the one I just finished writing (and am editing) is the sequel to it.
> 
>  
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Lexxie-Scott/e/B00BHME9QQ
> 
> That's the link to my author page. All books are available in both paperback and e-book format.


	16. Chapter 16

Danny tried to turn on the lights in his office, but they wouldn't work either. "Yoda, do the lights not working have some deeper meaning behind it, like I broke my brain or something 'cause this is really gonna make searching hard," Danny said, sitting down at his desk. "Why'd I pop up here in the lab anyway? Why not home?"

"Because the one question you seek to answer ties to the lab," Yoda said, sitting down near Danny. "The lights are a metaphor, nothing more. As you search, more of them will work for you. Right now, because you just set out, you know nothing of what you look for, so you are lost in the darkness. Finding answers, even small ones, will allow more light to enter into your world until you find the answer you seek."

"Well, might as well be obvious here. I tried to kill myself 'cause I was tired of living," Danny said. "I was tired of Mac treatin' me like crap day after day. Tired of the questioning looks I got from everyone in the lab. Just tired. Wait, you said Mac's at my bedside, what the hell is he doin' there? He ain't said nothing to me that wasn't abuse or lecture for months now. I'd think he'd be glad to have me gone."

"You don't remember what happened when you woke up in the hospital, do you?" Yoda asked.

"Nope, I got nothing," Danny replied. "I wrote out a report of everything I did when I got home, took the pills and was writing a letter to Mac when I passed out. After that, nada."

Yoda sighed. "You woke up and had lost several months of your memories," he said. "Flack found you before you were dead, read the letter to Mac and took it to him. Mac came to the hospital and you asked to see him when you woke up. Flack is not happy, he would cheerfully strangle Mac for what he's done, but given what happened when you were awake, he's allowing Mac to remain to try and help wake you up."

"Which ain't gonna happen 'til I work out this whole quest thing," Danny said. "Do you know what it's like to love someone who hates you, Yoda? I mean, deep down, all encompassing love that can't die no matter how much you want it to?"

"I am a part of you, so yes, I do understand," Yoda said.

"Yeah, right, part of my mind," Danny sighed. "I tried to hate Mac. Never at first, I still had hope back then, maybe he loved me enough to look into what happened and talk with me 'bout it. Hope died, but love stayed. Don't that just sound like a Country song? Ain't no way Mac still loves me, not after everything he's put me through. So you say I got one big question to answer, is it do I want to live or die?"

"That is a part of it, yes," Yoda said. "If you choose to die, then you will without waking up again and your friends will mourn you. Do you want to die, Danny?"

"Looking back on it rationally, no," Danny said. "Tonight at the lab though, hearing Mac's tone, seeing the look in his eyes, it was all just too much for me. I didn't have the energy to go back and see him again. Death seemed like the best answer when I got home. Pills were the cleanest and least painful and I had some left over from an injury a year or so ago. Guess I just didn't get enough of them in me, if Flack was able to find me. It would be easier to just give up and die though. Not have to face the pain and shame of it all. Of knowing the man I love don't love me 'cause of my family. I might have handled it a little better if it'd been something 'bout me or something I did. Might have even been able to fix it, but I can't change my family and that's why Mac hates me. I don't even understand it, Yoda. Mac and me been together long enough when that rat Sonny dropped my name that Mac knew I had no connection to the mob. I'd even told him a bit about my dad, not much, but enough he knew I didn't have no contact with my family. And Mac still chose the lab over me. Guess I was just the warm body in his bed."

Yoda sighed and moved so his head was resting in Danny's lap. "I never said the choices would be easy, Danny," he said. "There are others in here, voices you've known, that can offer you advice if you know them well enough. People you've counted as friends if you want to talk to them. The mind is a powerful weapon and yours is fighting to stay alive."

"I'm still tired though," Danny admitted. "I wake up, I gotta go back and face counseling for the suicide attempt, face Flack who ain't gonna let me be on my own for months in case I try again. Hell, I might not even have a job to go back to. Mac mighta decided this was one screw-up too many and fire me. It's more than I want to deal with. More than I think I can deal with, be honest."

"What if Mac was willing to let you back into his life?" Yoda asked. "What if he still loves you as much as you love him?"

"I don't know I can forgive him for how he's treated me," Danny replied. "You're part of my mind, Yoda, you know exactly what he's done. Everything he's said, how he's been treatin' me at work. Everything he's put me through since Sonny. Even if Mac do still love me, he's treated me like shit for too long and I don't know how to forgive something like that."


	17. Chapter 17

"So, say I choose to live," Danny said, rubbing Yoda's ears because they were warm and soft, and he'd really missed his dog. "What options do I got?"

"You have several that I can think of," Yoda said. "You can stay in New York and work at the lab. You will have to undergo all the tests and strain you already mentioned, but in the end I think you will be back to where you were before all the problems started. I'm not saying that Mac will be back in your life, not as a partner or a lover, but you would have a job where you were able to work and make a difference. You could also leave New York and transfer to another crime lab in the country. There are many out there, and many would like to have a CSI with your skills and talents."

"I'm nothing special," Danny said.

Yoda sighed. "I think that Mac did more damage to you than you realize," he said. "Would it help to talk with a friend from away from the lab? The voices of your friends wait for you to call them, Danny."

"I can't think of a friend away from the lab that would understand," Danny admitted. "I mean, I'd be happy to talk with someone, no offense to you and all, but I don't know who I could talk to."

"Would you allow me first pick then?"

"Yeah, sure, why not," Danny said. "Can't be any weirder than being locked in my mind with a talking dog."

"Hello, Danny," a soft voice said from the doorway. "Can I come in?"

Danny jumped and looked over. "Lieutenant Caine?" he asked. "Yoda, what the hell?"

"You said there were none who would understand you," Yoda replied. "I disagree and so do many of your friends. The lieutenant here was especially vocal."

"These are all voices in my head, right?" Danny said. "I mean, I ain't like having telepathy or nothing."

Horatio sat down across from Danny with a smile. "I'm a memory of yours, Danny," he said. "Yoda was right that the mind is a very powerful tool and can do some of the most remarkable things when threatened or under stress. Anyone you've taken to heart as a friend is in here, somewhere, and we're all anxious to help you work out the answers to your questions."

"Well, what the hell, I've had weirder experiences," Danny said with a shrug. "All right, Lieutenant, lay it on me."

"You say you're not special, Danny," Horatio said. "Why?"

"Cause I'm not. I'm just an average guy from New York who worked hard and got high grades at school so I wouldn't be stuck my whole life," Danny said. "I think I proved how stupid I actually am when I started dating Mac. If I hadn't let my heart get all mixed up in it, none of this woulda happened."

"Maybe, maybe not," Horatio said. "Mac has been especially hard on you, and unfairly too. He deserves a sound smack on the back of the head for how he's been treating you, Danny. I know that you know that, but there are others who know it too."

Danny snorted. "Yeah, Stella and Aiden right?" he asked bitterly. "They really proved that one when they jumped up and told Mac he was being a jerk to me. Ain't no one who cared enough about me to stand up to Mac, Lieutenant. They all just watched every day when he yelled at me in the halls. Mac didn't even care enough to take me into his office like he would anyone else. Just caught me in the middle of the lab and started lecturing. How can I go back to that?"

"I don't blame you if you don't want to, Danny, but death isn't the answer for your problems," Horatio said. "You need to wake up and tell Mac exactly what a jerk he's been to you, and then move on."

"Go to another lab, you mean," Danny said. "New York's my home, Lieutenant. I dunno I want to leave it."

"That's your choice, Danny," Horatio said. "Yoda's here to help you with your quest, but let me give you a hint, okay? There's three parts to the answer you're looking for. The question isn't do you want to live or die. That's a choice. The question is much bigger than that, and when you find the three parts you're looking for, you'll know what you want to do next."

"Why is my brain all cryptic?" Danny asked. "Shouldn't it be fighting harder to stay alive?"

"It is, what's why Yoda and I are here," Horatio replied. "Plus anyone else you want to talk with. We're all here, even if you just want to talk. There's only one voice we won't let come talk with you, Danny."

"Mac."

"He's done enough and you don't need that added stress right now." Horatio stood up and headed for the door. "Give me a call if you want to talk again, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks, Lieutenant," Danny said. He looked down at Yoda. "None of that made any sense. I still don't know what the question is."

"You need to think about it and you'll figure it out quickly enough," Yoda said. "Do you want to walk a little? You said you thought better on your feet."

"Yeah, sure, why not?" Danny pushed up with a sigh. "Maybe I left myself a clue somewhere and I can find it and figure out what the hell I'm thinking."


	18. Chapter 18

Danny went back down the hall and stopped in front of Mac's office. "This is one of those places I got so many memories of, y'know," he said. "Even in my mind, it don't feel right going in there."

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Yoda said. "I know how conflicted you feel about Mac. It's possible that leaving this until a later time would be better for you."

"Horatio said the question is in three parts, yeah?" Danny asked. "I got a feeling that Mac's tied right up in the middle of all of that. Live or die, yeah, I can see where that would be a choice I gotta make. There's still a lot I'd like to do and I don't think I can just roll over and die now. Not after all of this. Taking the pills like I did, I just couldn't handle it no more, but I don't think I could do it again."

"Living is the harder choice, Danny," Yoda said. "You know what you face when you wake up and it takes a brave man to make that choice."

"Might as well get this over with," Danny said. He went up and into Mac's office, trying not to shiver. "I'd ask why it's so cold in here, but that's cause Mac's been treating me like crap for so long, ain't it? He's been cold to me so my mind is registering him as cold. It's ironic, actually, cause Mac puts out so much heat I never needed a blanket whenever we'd sleep together. I can't do this part right now." He turned around and went back out.

Yoda sat down and scratched behind an ear. "You're searching for three parts to the same question," he said. "It's only when you find all three answers and put them together to answer the question that you'll be able to awaken. Mac is napping right now, Flack is talking to you about hockey, but they are both still in the room with your body."

"I feel bad for putting Flack through this," Danny admitted. "I'm gonna go check the locker room. He don't deserve none of this being thrown on him."

"He's your friend and he feels that he would be a bad friend if he didn't help you out. I can't speak for Mac's motives, he's harder to read."

"Yeah, he is," Danny said. "I remember going through interviews with him applying for the job and thinking that there was this Marine officer, he wasn't gonna want a screw-up on his team, no matter how good my grades were. I didn't realize he was having problems with his wife when he was doing the interviews and that's why his eyes looked so hard all the time. I was so happy to get the job and even happier the first time those eyes thawed when he looked at me."

Yoda sighed. "The problems with his wife were only a part of it though, weren't they?"

"Didn't know 'bout any of that until yesterday," Danny said. "Well, whenever it was I took the pills. Kinda hard to keep track of time in here. Seems like yesterday though." He pushed the door to the locker room open and went inside. "That bastard's had it out for Louie and me since we was in school and I shoulda realized he'd say something to Mac. Didn't need to know about it like that though. It just came outta nowhere." He sat down on the bench and rubbed the back of his neck. "Nah, that's not totally true. I never told Mac about it, probably should've, but it was after all the problems started up and I knew he wouldn't listen to me no matter what I said. I got some letters with threats in 'em. Telling me I needed to watch my back 'cause Tanglewood was going down and I'd go right along with it."

"Could you prove who they came from?" Yoda asked.

"Probably, if I'd brought 'em into work with me and tested for prints and DNA," Danny replied. He opened his locker and looked inside. "A flashlight would really be a help, you know. I'm gonna trip over something before this is all over with. I just didn't want to risk Mac catching me working on something he didn't assign again."

"Danny, has it occurred to you that Mac's broken far more than your heart?"

"My spirit you mean?" Danny asked. "Yeah, I think he was trying to do it. Thought I was too wild or reckless or something. I dunno if I can go back and face that. Yoda, is that something I need to be thinking about? Finding my footing again and learning that I've got a place in whatever lab I go to when I wake up?"

"It is something you need to think about, but it will take you time to remember that you have worth as both a CSI and a person. Mac has done everything is his power to take those away from you," Yoda said. "I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to have those letters looked at."

"Yeah, don't know how we're gonna do that," Danny said. "Seeing as I'm stuck here and can't talk to no one."

"I can have you mutter something about them," Yoda said. "I think that, given how upset Flack is, he'd have someone go look for the letters. Where are they?"

"In my desk at home, filed under work papers," Danny said. "Don't see what good it'll do."

Yoda would have shrugged if he'd been able to. Instead he shook and stood up. "Will it cause harm?"

"Nah, not unless Mac thinks it's more proof I can't be trusted."

"Well then, let's see if they can look at the letters and work out who sent them while you're trying to find the answers to your question."

Danny shrugged. "Sure, why not?"


	19. Chapter 19

Flack was at a loss what else he could do. He and Mac were taking turn talking to Danny about anything they could think about, but it didn't seem to be doing any good. The doctors warned that the coma was deeper than the last one and the chance of Danny waking up again was far lower than it was before. Mac was out getting them both coffee when Danny started muttering. He didn't move around, no indication that he was waking up, but Flack leaned closer to see if he could make out what Danny was saying.

"Flack?"

"He's been talking, Mac," Flack said. "Not much, but something about letters in his desk at home and threats against him."

Mac handed over one of the coffee cups. "He never said anything about receiving threatening letters."

"I wonder why," Flack said. He pulled out his cell phone. "Aiden, hey listen, can you go to Danny's place and check his files? Seems our boy was getting threats in the mail and didn't tell no one about them. Yeah, let's see who was sending them and if we can work out a few other things while we're at it. Mac's here and he don't care. Danny's the same, I don't know how he was muttering 'bout these letters, but he was."

Mac bit his lip hard. It was hard to be in the room and see Danny as still as he was, the younger man was always restless, and even harder to have the outright hate directed at him constantly from Flack. He sat down in his chair and took Danny's hand carefully in his. "I want you to wake up, Danny," he whispered. "Even if you hate me and want to move to another city, just knowing you were awake and living would be enough for me. I don't know how I was so blind, Danny. This is all my fault and I will do anything you want to prove to you that you are a strong young man who will be one of the best CSIs in the country."

"Aiden's going to check out those letters for me," Flack said. "Mac, you think it's possible they're from the guy that told you not to hire Danny?"

"I don't know, Flack, but if they are then I'm going to have a talk with him," Mac said. "I know I haven't shown it and I've been a jerk, but Danny is one of mine and no one messes with my people."


	20. Chapter 20

"Okay, this is really outta place," Danny commented. In the middle of the showers just off the locker room was a rock with a sword in it. "Yoda, I think I been watching too many movies lately. Do not tell me I have to pull that outta there."

Yoda sat down and scratched. "Do not look at it as a thing, rather look at it as a metaphor," he said.

"You gotta be kidding me," Danny sighed. He sat down next to the dog and looked at the rock and the sword. "I got nothing. Don't suppose there's a voice wandering around in here that could help me out here, is there?"

"There is one, yes, if you really wish their help," Yoda said. "It will be the only time they are able to talk with you during your journey, so be very sure this is the time you want to speak with them."

Danny glanced over. "Is this one voice the one that has all the answers?" he asked. "If I talk to 'em now, is it gonna make it harder for me to figure things out later on?"

"They do not have all the answers, no, but it is possible they would be of more use later on."

"Well, I got nothing now, and something tells me this is part of the three parts thing Lieutenant Caine was talking about, so bring in the voice," Danny said. "I'll take my chances. I feel like I'm on a game show or something. I gotta stop watching so much TV."

"Messer, you really screwed up this time," Aiden said as she walked into the showers. "You know how much you scared Flackie and me? I didn't even know if I'd get to the hospital in time or if you'd be dead when I got there."

"Shoulda known," Danny said. "Aiden, I wasn't thinking beyond how much I was hurting. You want to get me back, help me work out this epic puzzle quest I gotta finish up. Yoda here tells me you know what this is."

"That's your heart, idiot."

"It's why I love you so much, you never pull a punch. Which part is my heart?"

Aiden sighed and sat down next to him. "The rock if your heart, which anyone who knows you well would say is a load of crap," she said. "You got one of the biggest, warmest hearts of anyone I know, Danny, but lately you been hiding it. I know why, it's to keep from being hurt worse, but that sword there, it was still able to get through. What's that tell you?"

"The sword is Mac," Danny said with a sigh of his own. "He's the only one that's always able to get two me. Don't matter how well I hide, he always manages to get me. I still don't get what this has to do with the quest Yoda says I gotta solve in order to wake up."

"What would happen if you went over and tried to pull that sword out?"

"I'd fall flat on my ass."

"Right now you would because that's what you believe," Aiden said. "You had your normal confidence, there wouldn't be no question about you pulling that sword outta there. You'd already've tried it. The sword ain't going nowhere until you work this out. Give it a try now and then come back when you have more answers. I think you'll be surprised by the change."

"No laughing when I fall over," Danny said. He stood and went over to the sword. "Figures it's a broadsword. Couldn't be anything light, could it?"

"This is Mac we're talking about. He's anything but subtle."

Danny snorted. "Ain't that the truth," he said. "Here goes." He wrapped his hands around the handle and pulled, not surprised when it didn't move. "Yep, stuck fast."

"For now, but you'll find things that help you loosen it up as you keep looking," Aiden said. "We're all rooting for you, Danny. Choosing to live is a hard choice, we're proud of you for making it. We're doing everything we can to help you out."

"Like leaving things like this laying around?" Danny asked.

"Yep. Think about them with a CSI mind, not a hurt, hiding mind, and you'll work 'em out," Aiden said. "Go track 'em down and work out the question, Danny. You're strong enough to do that. You've just gotta remember that."


	21. Chapter 21

"Okay, so the locker room has my heart in it," Danny said. "Given the layout of the lab, that means that my brain will be up in the morgue. Geez, why the hell does it got to be up there?"

Yoda gave what could have been either a huff or a laugh. "I take it you're starting to feel like you're finding the answers," he said.

"Mind, heart and soul," Danny said. "Yeah, I know it's normally mind, body and soul, but given that I'm sorta trapped in my body, I think heart is filling in for the body part of the saying. Part of the wedding vows, ain't it?"

"For some, yes," Yoda said. "You were serious about Mac, weren't you, Danny?"

Danny sat down on the floor next to Yoda and scratched behind the dog's ears. "Totally and one hundred percent," he admitted. "I woulda been happy with Mac for the rest of our lives and I'd thought he felt the same about me. The night he kicked me outta his apartment, took his key back, and started treating me like crap, I don't remember too much of that night. Don't remember getting the stitches or nothing. It was like my mind couldn't work out what happened, what changed between work and home and why he was suddenly acting like I had the plague."

"Did you ever work it out?" Yoda asked.

"Mac, he's a good guy, but when his defenses go up, there's no getting past them," Danny said. "I was amazed when he let me close to him after Claire died. Mac, he feels things differently than most people do. Deeper and more serious. He puts honor above everything else in his life, even love, apparently. Guess I shoulda realized that before I let myself fall for him so deeply. I guess I just never thought he'd boot me without talking. Without giving me a chance to talk with him and see if we could work out what was happening between us."

"Honor means many things, but Mac has allowed his to become tarnished as he treated you so badly," Yoda said. "You love him deeply and he claimed to love you equally. I know you doubt that love now, but I need to tell you that he repeats that he loves you constantly. It's getting a bit repetitive, actually."

"See, that's what I don't get," Danny said. "How can he still love me and have treated me like he did? Hell, he managed to kill pretty much every part of me. Just the love remains. That sounds like a country song, don't it? I'm not even sure why I still love him." He pushed up with a sigh. "Suppose we need to get the morgue tour over with. It's gonna be creepy enough without lights. I don't even want to think about what we're going to find up there."

"There is nothing in the lab that can hurt you," Yoda said. "All the darkness here is within you and, while it might startle or shock you, the only hurt you would feel would be that which you have already felt before. Nothing in this lab can hurt you."

Danny looked down at Yoda. "So that means there's no zombies up there looking for my mind, right?" he asked.

"I wonder at the movies you watch," Yoda replied. "There are no zombies in the morgue. Just the physical representation of your mind. There may also be more light. You're starting to put the pieces together, Danny."

"Great, maybe I'll know what I'm thinking one of these days," Danny said. "Right now, I still got nothing."


	22. Chapter 22

Danny pushed the door to the morgue open slowly. It was a creepy enough room without the darkness hanging around. "I thought you said more light, Yoda," he commented.

"There is more here now than there was before," Yoda said, walking into the room. "There is nothing here but us and the clue you seek, Danny."

"Great, well, here goes nothing, I suppose," Danny said, following the dog into the morgue. The tables were empty and uncovered, much to Danny's relief. The freezer bay was missing, which surprised him a little, but mostly he just felt relief. In place of the freezer bay were filing cabinets. "Let me guess, my mind."

"You've always had an ordered mind, Danny," Yoda said. "I suggest you look under "L" first and then "M" to see if you can find the answers you're looking for."

"There's hundreds of these things," Danny said, starting through the isle between them, looking at the labels. "How the hell do I even find the letters?"

"How do you normally remember things?"

"By topic more than letter, honestly. Works neater than my personal life though. It has to be, with how quick I gotta be able to remember things," Danny said. "Or at least enough of things to remember where I read about them so I can get to it again."

Yoda sat down and scratched behind his left ear. "Where would you have Mac put, Danny?"

"Everywhere," Danny said, sitting down. "He's everywhere, Yoda. There's not one part of me that he ain't touched in some way. He's boss, friend, lover, partner. I told you, I was in for the long haul, ready to give him everything I am and would be, but he didn't feel the same. Shoulda known he didn't, truthfully."

"I suppose I need to mention he's not in the hospital room at the moment," Yoda said. "Your friend Stella called through with information about those hateful letters you were receiving and Mac left. He said something about dealing with the bastard that was trying to get you fired."

"Great, just what we need, Mac off on a quest," Danny sighed. He leaned back against one of the filing cabinets and closed his eyes. "I think I get the whole point of this quest thing you and the voices set up, Yoda. You're trying to get me to figure out if I'm strong enough to stand up for myself again."

"That is a part of it, yes," Yoda said. He moved over and laid down with his head in Danny's lap. "We really want you to be able to regain your normal level of self-respect and dignity, Danny. It's all been stripped away from you by the metaphorical sword in your heart. We'd hoped when you saw that that maybe you would be strong enough to react."

Danny closed his eyes. "I'm still just so tired, Yoda," he admitted. "You might as well let me wake up. Only way I'm going to be able to get answers is to talk with Mac. It's all well and good to have me on this quest while he's in the hospital room, relaying things he's saying, but it's only making me question more than it's helping. I ain't mad at you guys, you showed me some things I hadn't realized, but I need to be able to talk with Mac. I'm either gonna forgive him or I'll pull the sword out."

"Is that what you truly wish?" Yoda asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Danny replied. "I'm gonna miss you, Yoda."

"I'll be closer than you expect me to be," Yoda said. "All right, Danny. You've realized enough that you can go back and wake up. You know that there are others that love you and want you healthy. I wish we could have done this another way, but you scared us all with your suicide attempt."

"Sorry about that," Danny said, rubbing Yoda's ears. "I won't do it again. Not even to see you, I promise."

"Go and see your friends again, Danny," Yoda said. "Find the final answers to your quest for truth. We'll be here for as long as you need us, I swear it."

"Thanks, Yoda. Take care of yourself."

Danny's eyes opened slowly and the first person he saw was Flack.


	23. Chapter 23

"Danny," Flack exclaimed, hurrying over to the side of the bed. "You awake there buddy?"

"Think so," Danny replied. "There ain't a lab 'round anywhere, is there?"

"Dog or work?"

"Dog."

"Nope, no labs anywhere that I've seen," Flack said. "I'm gonna call the doctor in, Danny. You stay awake for me."

Danny blinked a couple of times and managed a nod. He hadn't been lying when he said he was still tired. "Mac's not back?" he asked softly.

"What?"

"From going out to talk with whoever was sending me those letters," Danny said. "Hope he isn't stupid 'bout it."

Flack blinked down at him a few times. "Danny, how do you even know about that?" he asked.

"Yoda told me."

The door opened before Flack could reply. He looked over at the doctor. "Danny's awake, Doc, but he ain't making much sense."

"Well now, I'm just glad to see you awake, Danny," the doctor said. "What do you remember?"

"Everything but the last time I was awake, but I heard all about it," Danny said. "Sorry for the scare, guys."

"That wasn't your fault and we found the person that poisoned you," the doctor said. "Sadly she's not talking to anyone about her reasoning, but I think she'll be able to get the help she needs. All right then, it's time to do some tests, Danny. Let's see what your mind looks like this time around. Detective Flack, you're coming along?"

"I gotta make one call and then I'll be there," Flack said.  
****

"Doc, I gotta ask," Danny said when they were alone, "is it possible my mind coulda rallied to keep me alive while I was in the coma?"

"The mind is a mystery to all of us, Danny," the doctor replied. "Given a couple of things you've said since you woke up, I'm thinking that it's very possible for you to have had an experience that no one else will be able to understand. You said you remember everything?"

Danny sighed. "Yep, and I learned a few new things about myself too," he said. "The coma had a purpose other than keeping me alive, Doc."

"If I swear I'll listen and not judge would you tell me about it?"

"Sure. I woke up in a replica of the lab where I work, but it was totally dark," Danny said. "There was a large dog that represented both my mind and was my link to what was happening around me. That's how I know Mac's out talking with whoever it was sent me those hate letters. I had a chance to talk with some people I trust, even if they were talking riddles rather than answers, and I found out that I gotta regain my sense of self before I can deal with Mac."

"Fascinating," the doctor said. "It sounds to me, Danny, as if your mind is stronger than you thought it was."

"You believe me?" Danny asked.

"Certainly. I told you, the mind is still very much a mystery and it's hard to know what it will do given a certain situation," the doctor said. "All right, we're going to do some scans to check for damage, but you seem more alert than you did last time you woke up. I'm still worried about you, Danny, but I think with time and the right people to talk with, you'll be able to heal."

Danny sighed again. "I dunno if that's true or not, Doc," he said. "Yoda, that's the dog, told me my sense of self and self-worth a shot to hell. I don't get them back, I ain't gonna be okay."

"Well then, we'll have to see what we can do to help you regain your sense of both," the doctor said. "I'll do anything in my power to help you out, Danny. I know that your friends will too. Trust is hard for you right now, but we'll work hard to prove it to you. Okay, let's get these scans done and then we can talk some more."


	24. Chapter 24

"Flack, where's Danny?" Mac asked, freezing in the door to the room.

"He woke up and the doctor took him for tests," Flack replied.

Mac sagged against the door frame. "Oh, thank god," he said. "Is he okay?"

"I dunno, I'm hoping the doctor will be able to tell me more after some of these tests is over," Flack said. "Aiden, you get it?"

"Yeah, but I don't know what you want with it," she said, handing over a gift bag. "Stell's parking the car. Mac."

"Aiden. I had a talk with the guy who sent Danny those letters," Mac said. "I also called the chief's office to report it. They're going to take care of it as quietly as they can because they don't want publicity on something like this. I didn't tell them about what happened at Danny's place."

"Good, 'cause that's the last thing he needs," Aiden said.

"Oh, good, you're all here," the doctor said, walking into the room. "Danny's still undergoing tests, but I wanted to talk with you all. The most important thing for you all to do right now is believe him. Danny had an unusual experience while he was in the coma and I don't know the best way to explain it, medically or logically."

"This have to do with Yoda?" Flack asked.

The doctor nodded. "Yoda was a talking dog, a lab, that looked a lot like his childhood pet," he said. "When Danny relapsed into the coma, it seems his mind rallied to keep him alive long enough for the medications we had him on to work. There's more to it than that, but I don't know what all Danny wants others to know. From the sounds of things, he learned a lot about himself while he was in the coma. Keep in mind that the mind is a mystery and what he's telling me is entirely possible."

"He loved that dog," Mac said. "Muttsy, a black lab that died of old age."

"I've never heard him talk about a dog," Aiden said.

Mac shrugged and looked back at the doctor. "How is he physically, doctor?"

"The tests all look good so far. I'll go into them in detail with Detective Flack, of course," the doctor said. "I need to caution you that Danny's sense of self and self-worth have both been completely shattered and, until he has a little confidence back, I don't want him left on his own."

"Got it covered," Flack said.

"That works," the doctor said. "I don't believe that Danny is a risk for another attempt at suicide, not unless something happens to push him back over the edge he was on before. You don't have to walk on eggshells around him, but be careful what you say and do. Danny's going to have to go through counseling and, I believe, there's an out of state friend he wants to call."

The team all looked at each other. "Any idea who?" Flack finally asked.

"Not a clue. Hey Stella," Aiden said. "You got any clue who Danny might want to talk to out of state?"

"Nope," Stella said. "I'm just happy to hear he's awake again. You guys will fill me in?"

"Sure, come on," Aiden said. "Thanks, doctor."

"Of course," the doctor said. "Detective Taylor, if I could talk with you alone for a moment."

Mac nodded and pushed off the wall. He didn't know if his legs would hold him for long, but he forced them to work. "Danny doesn't want to see me, does he?"

"I'm not sure, he hasn't said outright," the doctor said softly. "I really just wanted to warn you that Danny is extremely fragile right now and, if you can manage it, you should have someone else around for the first few conversations you have with him."

"That's not going to be a problem. Flack's already said he's not leaving me alone with Danny any time soon," Mac said. "Would you tell Danny that I've taken care of things at the department and he doesn't need to worry about them. He still has a job and no one knows the truth of what happened with him."

"Of course, that should help him feel more settled," the doctor said. "I need to get back. I'll either send someone with updates or come myself."

"Thank you, doctor," Mac said.


	25. Chapter 25

Flack was the only one waiting in the room when they brought Danny back in. "Hey."

"Hey. Where's everyone?" Danny asked.

"They're in the waiting room. We didn't want to overwhelm you," Flack replied. He put the gift bag Aiden brought on the bed. "Here. I know it ain't exactly what you had, but since it was the first thing you mentioned..."

Danny opened the bag and pulled out a small plush black lab and smiled. "Thanks, Flack," he said. "Guess we gotta talk about a few things."

"Not if you don't want to," Flack said. "The doctor said you're setting the pace for everything."

"Yeah, that's the thing," Danny said. "I got more questions than I got answers for. Hell, Yoda showed me my heart, Flack. Real life sword in the stone and Mac is the sword. Aiden, or the Aiden voice in my head, says that I'll be strong enough to pull that sword out one of these days, but I dunno if I can or not."

Flack sat down on the edge of the bed. "Danny, the doctor told me a bit about what happened to you," he said. "It don't surprise me your mind was strong enough to keep you alive and thinking while the drugs flushed outta your system. Always knew you was smarter than me."

"What time is it?" Danny asked.

"Bit after six in the evening," Flack replied. "Why?"

"Can I borrow your phone?"

"Sure, this the out of state friend you wanted to call?" Flack handed it over.

Danny nodded. "Yeah, I gotta ask a couple of questions," he said. "Could you maybe give me a minute? Go tell Mac I gotta question for him?"

"You sure you're okay to be alone?" Flack asked.

"Yeah, my friend ain't gonna hurt me," Danny replied.

"All right, I'll knock when we're back," Flack said. He wasn't happy about leaving, but if Danny wanted to talk to Mac, then he'd go and get the older man.

Danny waited until the door was mostly shut behind Flack and sighed. He punched in a number and waited for it to ring through. "Hello?"

"Tim? Hey, it's Danny."

"What's up, Messer?" Tim Speedle asked.

"Tried to kill myself," Danny replied softly.

"Need me up there?" Speed asked seriously. "You know I've been there before, Danny. Right where you are now. You say the word and I'm back in New York."

"Actually, if I can convince Flack to let me travel, could I maybe come down and see you?" Danny said. "They say I need to talk to counselors, but I don't want strangers poking 'round in my mind if I can avoid it."

"Sure, we'll get the guest room ready for you," Speed said. "You tell your boy that he can call to make arrangements if that's what it takes, but you get your ass down here, Messer. Me and Horatio know more about what you're going through than anyone."

Danny caught movement outside his door. "Mac and Flack are here," he said. "I'm just gonna pass you over to Flack and you talk with him. I don't know when they're gonna let me outta here. I got poisoned on top of the pills I took, so I'm pretty messed up right now."

"We've got a mother-hen doctor that can take care of you," Speed said.

"Yeah, you really do, don't you," Danny said with a small grin. "Talk to you when I know my plans, Speed. Here, Flackie, it's Tim Speedle."

Flack took the phone and went back out into the hall. Danny shifted in bed a little and looked over at Mac. "Hey."

"Danny," Mac said, voice breaking. "I never thought I'd get to see you awake again."

"Why, Mac?" Danny asked. "Why did you do it if you still love me?"

"I allowed panic to overtake my common sense, Danny," Mac replied. He stepped closer to the bed and rested his hand next to Danny's, not touching the younger man. "I know you're not connected directly to Tanglewood, to the business your father and brother are involved in, but I guess there was enough fear hidden deep down inside me that when Sonny let your name drop, it took over and I acted irrationally."

Danny looked down at the plush toy in his lap. "Yoda took me on a quest, Mac," he said softly. "Took place in the lab and the one place I couldn't go was into your office. I woulda frozen if I'd stayed in there too long, but I got the feeling an answer to part of my quest was in there. My heart was in the locker room. A rock. A rock with a sword sticking in it. You're the sword, Mac. My mind up in the morgue, that was filing cabinets and I couldn't find one place for you because you invaded everything. I never said, but I was in for the long haul, Mac. You're in every fiber of my being and they tell me I gotta pull that sword out of the stone. Pull you outta me to heal."

"I don't know what to tell you, Danny," Mac said. "Other than that I love you as much as I ever have. I acted out of fear and I was stupid. I wish I could say something magical that would let you heal and put us back to where we were before that case, but I can't. All I can do is hope you can give me the chance to show you that I do love you, and I value you as both a person and a CSI."

"I dunno if you meant to do it or not, Mac, but you managed to break me," Danny said. "I'm going south, stay with friends there for a bit. Speed, he tried to kill himself back when we were in college. He knows what I'm going through and he'll help me more than strangers poking their noses into my business will. Doc knows, he's already agreed I can fly so long as I have someone meeting me. I don't know when I'll be back."

"Or if you'll be back," Mac said. "Danny, listen to me. I love you enough to tell you this. If you need to stay in Miami to be happy, then stay. I will give you the best recommendation I can because you deserve it. I'll also fix it so you can have a leave of absence from the lab here, so you'll have a job to come back to if you still want it. No matter how long it takes you to find yourself again. I wish I could help you do that, but I've caused you too much harm for you to trust me. You're right to be cautious and not trust me."

"Wish it hadn't come to this, Mac," Danny said with a sigh.

"So do I, Danny."


	26. Chapter 26

Two days later, after several rounds of tests, Danny walked slowly off the jet way and into the airport. "Hey."

"I cheated and used my badge," Speed said, taking Danny's backpack. "Horatio's got the Hummer parked right outside and I'll get your bags for you. How you many do you have with you?"

"One, it's the old blue suitcase I've had for years," Danny said. "I ain't moving fast, Tim. Bags'll be out before I get down there."

"They didn't get you a wheelchair?"

"I didn't want one," Danny said. "You know me, I'd rather be moving than sitting still. Thanks for letting me come down, Tim, I really appreciate it."

"Not a problem," Speed said. "We're going to talk through everything in detail, Danny, just like you did for me back in school. H wants to make sure you'll be okay and then he'll hang back until you feel safer having him around."

Danny looked over. "I've never once felt unsafe around Horatio Caine," he said. 

"Most people feel the same," Speed grinned. "I need to tell you that Flack called last night and told me some things, trying to get me up to speed to help you out, I guess. He's really freaked, isn't he?"

"He's the one that found me," Danny said. "He tell you 'bout Yoda and my mental quest?"

"As much as he knew about it, anyway," Speed said. They passed through security and headed towards baggage claim. "Sounds to me like it was pretty freaky, but cool at the same time."

"It was weird, Tim. Always knew the lab was important to me, but to wind up there rather than an old haunt or even my place, that threw me," Danny said. "I see the Hummer. You sure you're okay to get my bag?"

"Go, and you're in the front seat," Speed said. "No arguing, it's got the best views. I'll be right behind you, promise."

Danny sighed. "All right, see you in a couple," he said. He made he was carefully through the crowd, trying not to be knocked over by the rush, and finally made it outside. He tapped on the Hummer window before opening the door. "Hey Horatio."

"Welcome to Miami, Danny," Horatio said with a soft smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I could sleep for a week," Danny replied with a sigh. "The doctors all claim I'll get my energy back, but right now, it's hard to believe them."

"You've been through a lot in a short period of time, Danny, so it's only natural you'll feel tired," Horatio said. "Tim's been shopping to get your favorite foods and I think I even saw some new sunblock that probably has your name on it. We'll do whatever we can to help you feel whole again."

"When I was in the coma, I went on a quest, Horatio," Danny said softly. "You were the first mental voice to come talk to me. I'll admit I didn't understand a word you said, but you were there. My mind never pulled Tim up, I don't know if he was in reserve for emergencies or what, but I wanted to let you know that some part of you was there for me when I needed it the most."

"I'm glad I could help," Horatio said. "If you feel comfortable telling me more about it, Danny, I'm curious to hear about the quest you went on. Flack tried to explain it to Tim, but I'm not sure if something was lost in translation or if Flack just really doesn't understand it."

"I don't think he believes me," Danny said with a sigh. "Flackie is trying, but I think he thinks there was some damage caused by the chemicals mixing like they did and I'm talking crazy."

Horatio unlocked the back of the Hummer for Tim and looked over at Danny. "If that's true then someone needs to explain the mind to him a little more," he said. "Is that everything, Tim?"

"That's it. Let's go. I hear pizza calling our name," Speed said as he climbed into the backseat.


	27. Chapter 27

Over dinner, Danny told Horatio and Speed everything had happened since the case where Sonny dropped his name in the interview room up until he walked off the plane in Miami. It was obvious to both of them how much talking about it pained him because he spoke slowly, his voice soft, and without eye contact. When he was finished, Horatio moved over and pulled him into a gentle hug, and Danny broke down crying. Speed went to get a box of tissues and then sat and rubbed Danny's back until he calmed down again. "Do you feel a little better, Danny?" Horatio asked softly.

"A little," Danny said. "Sorry for gettin' you all wet, Horatio."

"Don't give it another thought," Horatio said. "You're a CSI, Danny. You know there are worse things to be covered with than tears."

Speed snorted. "I think we all know that one," he said. "I think that's enough talking for the night, unless you want to fill us in a little more on the quest you went on, Danny."

"Tomorrow?"

"Sure. I've got some of your favorite movies stashed close by," Speed said. "Why don't we get you settled in the guest room and watch in there. That way, when you fall asleep in the middle of one of them, you don't have to wake up again until morning."

"Sounds good," Danny said. "Thanks again for all of this, guys. I didn't know what else to do."

"You're family, Danny, and are welcome to stay as long as you need to," Horatio said. "I'll clean up, Tim. You two go find a favorite movie to watch."

Speed nodded. "Come on, Danny, let's go see what you feel like watching," he said. "I left out anything that might be sad. Figured you needed comedies more than anything else right now."

Horatio watched the pair go down the hall towards the guest room with a fond smile. That Danny had been there for Speed in college was a miracle that Horatio didn't fully understand, but he was really happy to be trusted enough to be included in helping Danny heal. He gathered up the empty pizza boxes and took them out to the kitchen, leaving them on the counter, and headed out onto the deck. Horatio pulled out his cell phone and called Mac.

"Lieutenant Caine?"

"Detective Taylor," Horatio said. "I think maybe it's time to move past titles, if you're comfortable doing it."

"Meaning you want to chew me out for how I treated Danny and it'll feel less official if we don't use titles," Mac said. "Trust me, Horatio, nothing you could say to me will beat what I've been thinking since I read the letter he wrote me. I was blind, stupid, and I almost killed another man with my actions. I don't feel anything but shame right now."

"Rightly so," Horatio said. "I think, Mac, that if you were here in Miami you would find out exactly what I think about your behavior towards Danny."

"I'll be honest, Horatio, I didn't realize that you were so close to Danny," Mac said.

"I'm not, but Danny and Tim are friends from high school," Horatio said. "They went to college together and when Tim tried to kill himself, Danny was there to help him recover from the attempt. Friendship like theirs is rare enough, and when I was in New York last time, Danny and I went out to supper together and talked. I would be honored to be considered a friend, but I don't know if I am or not."

Mac sighed. "Be honest with me, Horatio, do you think that Danny can recover from what I've done to him?" he asked.

"I don't know, Mac, I really don't," Horatio replied. "They're in watching a movie right now, and Danny doesn't know I've called you."

"I think he probably expects you to," Mac said. "I know you'll take care of him. I won't insult you by asking you to, but I would be lying if I said I wish he'd stayed in New York."

"Right now, Mac, he is a very broken young man trying to find himself again," Horatio said. "I think we're lucky to still have him with us. He didn't go into detail about his quest. I think that's a conversation for tomorrow, but he did mention that Yoda gave him a choice at the very beginning. To live or to die. Danny chose to live, even knowing how much it would hurt him. He could easily have taken the other choice with how broken his heart and spirit are."

"Which is my fault," Mac said. "I'm going to talk with a counselor while Danny's in Miami, Horatio. If I did this once, what's to stop me from doing it again if I don't understand everything that happened?"

"It takes strength to ask for help, Mac, and I'm glad you did," Horatio said. "I'll tell Danny in the morning. I think, with his permission, we should stay in touch during his healing period."

"If he says no?"

"Then I'll tell Don Flack," Horatio said. "But you're Danny's family, as much of a family as he has anymore, and you need to know if he's healing or not."

"Thank you," Mac said softly.

Horatio glanced back when arms wrapped around him. "I think that's the shortest movie on record," he said. "Danny asleep?"

"Out like a light," Speed said. "That New York?"

"Mac."

"No comment," Speed said. "I'll finish the kitchen, H."

"Take care of them, Horatio," Mac said, purposely ignoring what he'd said earlier. "I think they need you more than anything else right now."


	28. Chapter 28

Danny slept late and finally stumbled out into the kitchen around ten. "Tim?"

"Hey, how'd you sleep?" Speed asked, putting down the spoon he was using to stir something before heading to the fridge. "They said to feed you whenever we could, so I made your favorite breakfast. Feel up to trying to eat something?"

"Yeah, sure," Danny said. He sat down at the breakfast bar and rubbed his face. "How'd you deal with the constant emotions flux?"

"Honestly, I hid whenever you weren't with me," Speed said. He handed Danny a glass of juice and went back over near the microwave. "I tried to kill myself because I was chronically depressed and the doctors screwed up the meds they had me on, so the reasoning is a little different. I think the best thing you can do is have a box of tissues close by all the time and don't worry about crying around Horatio or me."

"Easier said than done," Danny sighed.

"Dan, we don't mind," Speed said. "We're pissed as hell you got hurt so bad, but if you need to cry then cry. Horatio and I both have had nights where we spent more time crying on the other than we did talking. It's something guys aren't supposed to admit, we're supposed to be all tough and that shit, but when it comes down to it. sometimes crying is the only thing that's gonna help you feel better."

"I just wonder how I'm supposed to heal up from this." Danny picked up the fork as it slid past him with a small smile. "Thanks, Tim, this looks good."

Speed grinned. "I'm trying to make as many of your favorites as I can to freeze," he admitted. "Horatio isn't a picky eater and you need to put some weight back on. I think that you have to remember that you're important and people care about you. I think if I'd showed up in New York, Mac Taylor would have a broken nose right now for how he's been treating you."

"A couple of things I did deserve to be lectured for," Danny said. "I disobeyed him."

"But he didn't have to catch you in the hall and yell at you there, did he?" Speed asked.

"No."

"No. Anyone with any common sense would call the employee into his office to lecture them there."

"Mac's office is a fish bowl. Everyone still woulda seen it."

"They wouldn't have heard it though," Speed said. "There's a difference between hearing and seeing when a coworker or friend is in trouble, Danny. Mac broke trust with you when he started lecturing you in the hall where anyone walking past could stop and listen. That was public shaming, and it has no place in a work environment."

Danny looked down at his plate with a sigh. "He says he still loves me, Tim."

"You always hurt the one you love? That's bullshit, Danny."

"I don't understand it either," Danny said. "Yoda, he told me that Mac was with me every second he could be when I was in the coma. He kept telling me over and over how much he loved me and how sorry he was. I don't even think he realized there was a problem until after Flackie took him the letter I was writing when I passed out. I still love Mac, but I don't know if I can trust him again."

"That's something you're here to think about," Speed said. "We're going to sit out on the beach and enjoy the sun. You're going to swim and get your strength back and we'll see if we can't help you rebuild a little of who Danny Messer really is."

"You ain't swimming?"

"Hell no. I've seen what's in that water. I won't go near it."


	29. Chapter 29

Horatio was a light sleeper, had been all his life, and he always seemed to sleep extra lightly when there was someone close by that needed him for anything. He woke up just after midnight and lay quietly for a minute, just listening to the house around him. Speed was sound asleep, curled up in a ball like normal, facing the door. Horatio slipped out of bed and headed down the hall towards the guest room. He tapped lightly on the door and pushed it open. "Hey."

"Hey," Danny said, wiping at his eyes.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure."

Horatio moved into the room slowly and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Bad dream, Danny?" he asked softly.

"Yeah, I was back in the lab, like I was on my quest, but Yoda wasn't there and I couldn't find anyone no matter how much I called for help," Danny replied. "Guess I didn't realize how much Yoda meant to me 'til now."

"From what you've told us, Danny, Yoda was more than your friend during that time, he was a lifeline," Horatio said. "Do you know what I think?"

"I'm crazy?"

"Everyone is crazy in some way, Danny, but no, I don't think you're crazy," Horatio said. "Can I come sit up next to you?"

"Sure."

"I think, Danny, that Yoda is your self-confidence trying to help you find your way again," Horatio said. He leaned against the headboard and held his arm out, offering a hug if Danny wanted one. "He was your connection to the outside world, to everything going on around you, but also to the voices of those wanting to help you finish your quest. I don't see why it's not possible he has a deeper connection to you than you originally thought."

Danny curled up against Horatio with a sigh. "When I first woke up in the lab, when I was all alone in the dark, I tried something out," he said. "I was sitting in a chair and I decided not to believe in the chair. I ended up on the floor."

"Everyone says the mind is a powerful tool, Danny," Horatio said. "Your quest only proves this more. I wish I had a magic answer for you, a way for you to go back to New York and your job whole immediately, but I don't. All I can do is offer to be here for you whenever you need me to be."

"How'd you even hear me?"

"I've always been a very light sleeper," Horatio said. "Tim, on the other hand, isn't."

Danny managed a small smile. "Yeah, he sleeps like a rock any time he hits a bed," he said. "Do you think he'd mind if you stayed here for a bit, Horatio? You've got a feel to you that makes me feel safe."

"I think that Tim would hurt me if I left, Danny. Let's see if we can get you to sleep because I know for a fact that Tim has an outing planned for tomorrow and you're going to want to be rested for it," Horatio said.

"Any idea where he's dragging me?" Danny asked.

Horatio noticed the plush black lab that Danny pulled out from under the covers, but didn't mention it. He had a feeling the younger man thought that depending on a toy was something to be embarrassed about. "There's something you both will enjoy, but he'll hurt me if I give you any hints," he said softly. "I'll stay until you're asleep, Danny. I promise."


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://miamiseaquarium.com/Explore/Exhibits
> 
> This is where they are for the day.

"Will you give me a clue where we're going?" Danny asked.

"It's something you love, but you haven't had a chance to do in years," Speed replied. "We've got all day and tons of time, so we don't have to rush through this."

Danny sighed. "Mysterious as always, Tim," he said. "Horatio didn't give me any hints either."

"He knows that I'd hurt him if he did," Speed said with a grin. "Did you sleep a little better with him in here?"

"Yeah. I dunno if it was just him or having someone in bed with me again," Danny said. "I ain't been sleeping well, not since Mac threw my keys at me, but I thought it was stress combined in with depression. What if it ain't? What if I need someone to cuddle with at night to be able to sleep?"

"We either get you a body pillow or Horatio and I will take turns sleeping with you," Speed said. "My best guess is that it's a mix of things. You've been lonely and in pain so you're not sleeping well, which makes it harder to function, which probably led to Mac lecturing you more, which leads back to not sleeping. We break the cycle, Danny, and you'll be able to start feeling a little better. Sleep is a remarkable thing."

"You don't realize it until it's gone," Danny said. "The aquarium? Really?

Speed grinned. "There's more than just an aquarium here, Danny," he said. "You can go out and swim with the dolphins if you want to, there's several shows, and lots of exhibits to look at too. I haven't forgotten how much you love marine life."

"I never told no one at the lab that I do," Danny said. "This is awesome, Tim, thank you."

"You're welcome, Danny," Speed said. He pulled into a parking place and turned off the car. "Come on, let's go decide what all we're going to do. You're not going to get me in the water, but I'll watch while you swim if you want to."

"I don't remember you being this bad about water before you moved down here."

"Before I moved down here, I didn't know what all was in it," Speed said. "Now that I do know, I'm not going to let it touch my skin, no matter how sad Horatio looks when he's out swimming and wants me to join him."

"So you're telling me you never get splashed?"

"They know better," Speed said. "It took Delko a while to figure it out, but he did, in the end."

Danny glanced over. "What'd you do to him?"

"Rigged a couple of random water bombs in the lab," Speed replied. "Never where Horatio would get mad about them, but Eric finally worked out not to splash me if he didn't want to get wet in the middle of the lab."

"You're evil," Danny commented with a grin.

"I learned from the best," Speed said. "All right, what do you want to do while we're here?"  
****

"I think you wore him out, Tim," Horatio commented later that night. Danny had managed supper and then headed to bed immediately after.

Speed grinned. "We took it slow, but the swim with the dolphins might have been a bit much for him," he said. "There was life in his eyes again, Horatio. His smile reached them."

"Animals have a way of helping people heal," Horatio said. "We'll have to think of some other animal related activities the two of you can do."

"When he's feeling more up to moving around again, I talked to my friend at the training area," Speed said. "There's a black lab there that's almost ready to certify. I think that Danny would be a good match, and it'd be someone he could take to work."

"As long as the brass in New York agree," Horatio said. "Having a dog at the lab is different than having one in narcotics or homicide."

"True, but I think it could be worked out."

"Call New York and find out before you take him near a dog, Tim. You know better than I do what finding and then losing anyone right now would do to Danny."

"Yeah, I know," Speed said. "You keep Danny busy during breakfast and I'll make the calls."

Horatio kissed his lover softly. "You're insane."

"So people keep telling me."


	31. Chapter 31

"Okay, so do I want to know where we're going today?" Danny asked, looking around.

"Another surprise," Horatio replied from the driver seat. "Tim's good at plotting, Danny, but not quite as good at sharing his plans in advance."

"If that's the case then why am I not driving?" Speed asked from the backseat.

Horatio glanced in the mirror. "Because you know I get car sick, Tim," he said. "I don't think either of you want to deal with that."

"I'm the only one at the lab that knows that about him," Speed said. "Everyone else thinks that he just prefers to drive because he knows Miami so well."

Danny smiled. "I think I'd rather have Horatio driving than you, Tim," he said. "You're good and all, but you do tend to forget you're not on your bike half the time."

"Fine, see if I drive you anywhere again," Speed grumbled.

"Just crazy, Tim, just crazy," Horatio said, pulling into a driveway. "You should probably fill Danny in on the phone calls you've been making before we get there."

"Point." Speed leaned forward. "Danny, I've spoken with the brass up in New York, Mac, and your union. I have written permission from all of them to do this. If you don't want to, it's totally fine, but I think it'd be good for you, especially with everything you've been going through lately."

"You talked to Mac?" Danny asked.

"He's talking with a counselor, Danny," Horatio replied. "Tim and I have both spoken with him. Mac wants to understand why he did what he did to hurt you so badly."

"Mac hates talking to anyone 'bout his feelings," Danny said as Horatio pulled to a stop.

"He's doing it for himself, Danny, but also for you," Horatio said. "Mac says he still loves you, but he doesn't want to risk your heart again, and he won't be sure he won't until he can fully understand why he went after you like he did. Those aren't answers he'll be able to find out on his own."

Danny looked down at his hands. "I ain't worth it."

"Yes, you are," Speed said. "You're worth that and more, Danny. I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but you trust me never to lie to you, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then trust me when I say that you are worth this," Speed said. "You are worthy of love and trust, Danny. Totally and one hundred percent worthy."

Danny nodded with a small sigh. Horatio reached over and tilted his head up. "You okay to go out and meet someone, Danny, or do you need a minute to find your footing again?"

"I'm okay," Danny said.

"Tim, you go on ahead," Horatio said. "Danny and I'll catch up."

"See you out there."

"I'm really okay, Horatio," Danny said. "We could have gone with Tim."

"Give it a minute, Danny," Horatio said. "Don't push yourself if it's going to make you uncomfortable, okay?"

"I'm not."

Horatio reached over and took Danny's hands in his. "Then why are you shaking, Danny?" he asked softly. "What's wrong?"

"I just don't get it," Danny said. "I ain't worth the fuss."

"Danny, I know that Mac hurt you badly and this has impacted your self-esteem and sense of self-worth," Horatio said. "I know that it's been reinforced time and time again when he showed you such a horrible lack of respect at work and at home, but you are worthy of care. Tim and I both care for you deeply, you're important to us and we want to see you happy and whole again."

"I don't know how," Danny whispered.

"That's okay, Danny, we'll show you," Horatio said.


	32. Chapter 32

Speed was waiting by the gate when Horatio and Danny joined him. "Danny, this is our police dog training facility," he said. "I've got a couple of friends here that work with the dogs and they told me there's a young black lab here that's ready to start working with whoever is going to be handling her. I know you're feeling down, but hearing you talk about Yoda and Muttsy, I thought maybe you'd like to at least meet the dog."

"There's no way I'd be able to have the dog at work and it ain't fair to leave a big dog locked in an apartment all day," Danny said.

"That's what I was talking to everyone in New York about," Speed said with a grin. He handed over a stack of faxes. "You're cleared to have the dog in the lab, on cases and with you as long as there's a certificate showing he's been trained to be a police dog."

"Really?" Danny asked.

"Yes, really," Speed replied. "Danny, I wouldn't have brought you near this place if you couldn't do this."

Danny grinned and Horatio noticed that both the shakes were gone and the smile made Danny's face light up. "I can't believe it," he said. "I don't understand how you even came up with this, Tim."

"You had dogs to help you through tough times before," Speed said. He opened the gate and started inside. "So I thought that maybe you could have a dog to help you again. I called my friends and asked if there were any labs going through training right now and they had one not assigned yet. They're holding her until you have a chance to come out."

"Female?"

"Yeah, is that a problem?" Speed asked.

"No, I just never considered a female dog before," Danny replied. "Where's Horatio?"

Speed pointed towards the bleachers. "Heaven forbid he gets dog hair on his suit," he said. "Before you say it, no, he doesn't mind having a dog in the house. He just has to go back to work when we're done here."

"I don't want to cause no problems."

"You won't," Speed said. "There's Mark. He's the head trainer here."

"Speedle," Mark said, when he was close enough to be heard, "is this Danny?"

"Danny Messer, this is Mark Franklin," Speed said. "Danny's been sick, Mark, so take it easy on him today."

"We won't be doing anything hard today," Mark said. "Come on, Leia is over this way."

Danny did a bit of a double-take at the name, but followed along behind the others, looking around. He didn't even know if the NYPD had a dog training facility for their K-9 units. If they did, he'd never been there before. Around the large open field were about ten dogs being put through various tests. It looked like hard work, but a lot of fun at the same time. 

"Here she is," Mark said. "Wait here and I'll bring her out to meet you."

"How old is she, Mark?" Danny asked.

"Just turned two. We start working with them early on basic behavior and slowly increase their training as they get older," Mark replied. He went into the large kennel and came out with a black lab that hadn't filled out completely, but the potential was there. "When we're ready to certify, we bring the people who have been picked as their handlers and owners to come out and work with them on a two week intensive course before we certify them both as ready to work. Every year there's a recertification test, but you're up in New York, so we'll have to talk with the group up there, unless you want to come down yearly to test here."

"I think consistency is best for her," Danny said. He knelt down and held out a hand. "Hey there, Leia, you wanna come work with me on a few things?"

Speed smiled when the dog's tail started thumping on the ground. "What do you think, Mark?" he asked.

"I think this is a good match," Mark replied. "Come on guys, we can start on basic commands and work up from there. Danny, tell us if you need a break. It's not easy getting over intense illnesses."

"I will," Danny said, grateful that Speed hadn't told the other man the truth about his illness. Danny wasn't ready for anyone outside his close friends to know he'd tried to kill himself.


	33. Chapter 33

While Horatio was in the bleachers watching Danny out on the training field, his phone rang. "Horatio."

"It's Mac Taylor."

"Detective Taylor, what can I do for you today?" Horatio asked.

"I was just wondering how Danny's doing," Mac replied. "I know I can't talk to him, I can't risk setting him back, but I'm worried about him."

"Understandable. Danny is learning the basic commands for his new companion," Horatio said. 

"The dog?"

"Her name, as I understand it, is Leia," Horatio said. "If that isn't a sign, Mac, then I don't know what is."

Mac was quiet for a moment. "That's a little spooky, actually," he said. "He's holding up okay?"

"As well as can be expected. You did a lot of damage not only to his heart, but to his very sense of self, Mac," Horatio said. "He doesn't believe that he is worth any trouble for anything at the moment, and while Tim and I are doing our best to show him that he's wrong, it's almost to the point where I'm going to have him speak with a friend of mine. She's a counselor that's worked with the crime lab a number of times and I think that she'd be good for Danny."

"I still haven't had any breakthroughs," Mac admitted. "I've been talking with the counselor up here about things dating back to before Claire died, but so far we haven't found anything that would lead me to act as I did towards Danny."

"Mac, have you considered the fact that you thought Danny lied to you and you decided that you were going to take revenge on him?" Horatio asked softly. "That you thought he was lying to you about everything and that's the reason you tore him apart as badly as you did?"

"I have, along with the fact that I was frustrated about the case and him withholding one small fact from me and that mushroomed into this mess," Mac replied with a sigh. "The fact of the matter is, Horatio, that I actively attempted to kill my lover. I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive myself for that."

"Mac, I don't know if I will either," Horatio said.  
****

"It's really okay for me to bring her home?" Danny asked.

"I promise you," Speed replied. "Danny, look at those eyes. How could you leave her here?"

"I just don't want to risk Horatio's suits," Danny said.

"Which is why I have a lint roller in the Hummer."

Danny jumped and looked behind them. "Tim, you're dating a ninja," he said.

"Tell me about it. He does this to all of us at the lab," Speed grumbled. "I think he likes to eavesdrop and pick the perfect moment before he breaks into the conversation. I just haven't managed to catch him lurking yet."

"You never will, Tim," Horatio said with a smile. "Danny, Leia is part of the family now. As long as she stays off the sofa, she is welcome in the house. She can even sleep in the bed with you if you want her to."

"Really?" Danny asked with a small, hopeful smile.

"Come here, Danny," Horatio said, holding his arms open. He pulled the younger man into a tight hug. "Really."


	34. Chapter 34

Speed settled on the beach while Danny and Leia played in the surf. He wasn't surprised having a dog around was making Danny happier than he'd been in who knew how long, but he was also still worried about the low self-esteem that showed up almost constantly. "Don't you dare."

"Don't know what you're talking 'bout," Danny said with a grin. He put the bucket down and knelt next to it. "I'm gonna build a sand castle. Leia, down."

"She's a smart one," Speed commented. "You ready for some intense training with Mark and the others to qualify as her handler?"

"Yeah. I'm just worried what's gonna happen when I'm back up in New York," Danny said. "You sure I can take her to the lab with me."

"Yep, that's what all the paperwork is for," Speed said. "We'll get her certified down here and then you'll have to match your department's qualifications, but they should be similar. Or, if you want, you can just have her as a companion dog. Either way, you can still take her to work and out to crime scenes with you."

"Tim, I don't know how to thank you," Danny said. "I keep expecting her to talk to me, like Yoda did."

Speed glanced at the panting dog. "They look that much alike?"

"Yoda was bigger with more bulk, but he was fully grown, I think," Danny said. "I'm still puzzling over the whole sword in the stone metaphor they gave me on my heart. It don't make sense to me. My heart ain't stone. If it was, I wouldn't have been hurt so bad."

"Well, is it possible that you've started to guard your heart a little more closely over the past few months?" Speed asked. "Not so much turning it to stone as hiding it away behind a stone barrier?"

Danny shrugged and poured some water onto the sand. Speed just studied him for a long moment. "Danny, you let Mac in more than you ever have with a lover," Speed finally said. "Why?"

"I don't know if I let him in or if he just took over parts of me I didn't realize were his until it was too late," Danny said. "Mac was forever for me, Tim. Kinda like you and Horatio. I didn't want no one else, just Mac, and he pulled away from me so suddenly I didn't know what was happening. I barely remember the night he kicked me out. Yeah, I remember it, but it's like I don't want to."

"It's a painful thought. That doesn't surprise me too much," Speed said. "You told me a bit about that case while it was happening, but you never told me if you were worried about Mac finding out more about Sonny and his crew."

"I'd told Mac bits and pieces of it, but I guess not enough," Danny sighed. "I left all that behind me when I went to school. I ain't even seen Louie or my pop since I was eighteen. Mac knows that part. He realized I never talked 'bout my family or seeing them and asked me why. I told him my pop was in a bad business, something not quite legal, and I didn't want to risk being tied up with it, so I left and cut off all contact. I thought Mac did some digging after that, but I guess not."

"Did he ever ask you about Tanglewood other than on that case?" Speed asked.

"Nope. He'd seen me naked enough times to know this is my only tat," Danny replied. twisting his arm a little. "He even knows the story behind it. I never held nothing back with Mac, Tim. He knows me as much as you do."

Speed nodded. "Which is why I'm so surprised events led us to this point," he said. "Mac doesn't know why he did it. You're trying to work out the meaning behind your quest so you can heal. I don't know what to think, Danny."

"I don't either, Tim. I don't either."


	35. Chapter 35

Danny slept with the door propped open so Leia could go and ask Horatio or Speed to let her out in the morning if Danny was still asleep. The murmur of voices woke him up and he realized that it was Horatio and Speed talking about a case. A cold case, it sounded like, if the use of past tenses was any indication.

"I've run the trace four times this time," Speed was saying. "There's still one thing the GCMS can't identify and I'm running out of ideas. I've checked soil samples, plant, insect, animal, vegetable, and mineral samples. It has to be man-made, Horatio. That's the only thing I can think of, but I don't know where to even start looking to match it up. Our database is good, but if it's not there, my next chance is with the FBI and they haven't hit anything either."

"Something not native to this country then," Horatio said. "I've checked for travel under aliases, but there's nothing."

"I thought the trace might have come from Cuba," Speed said. "In with one of the people coming in illegally at night, but I don't see how we wouldn't have picked up on that with the victims."

"Unless the victims weren't the ones in the country illegally," Horatio said. "Good morning, Danny, did we wake you up?"

"I think I was just dozing," Danny said, sitting down at the table with them. "This a cold case?"

"About a year old now," Horatio said. "We've got two teenagers dead, both stabbed to death and have matched the knife to a type, but never found the murder weapon. It's a fishing knife, which is common enough here. There's an unusual trace that Tim has been working to identify, but keeps coming up at dead ends."

Danny pushed his glasses up his nose. "Do you have pictures, Tim?" he asked. "Morning, Leia. You been a good girl?"

"She's been perfect," Horatio said with a smile. "Tim fed her and took her for a walk while I was at the lab. Things are slow, so I've had everyone reopen cold cases and look back through the evidence."

"Wish we had quiet days like that," Danny said, taking the pictures from Speed. "Wow, never seen nothing like this before. I heard you say you ruled out natural, Tim."

"Yeah, I've run it through every database I have available to me and sent some of it up to Quantico for them to run for me," Speed said with a sigh. "Whatever it is, Danny, it's never been involved in a criminal investigation before. I thought some sort of fiber because of the basic loop structure to it, but nothing pinged when I ran it through."

"So we could be looking at a fiber that hasn't been entered into the database?" Danny asked. "Guy I know up in the upper part of New York, he runs a web page that has things like this on it. He wanted to be a CSI but broke his back at the academy, so he studies and runs the web page. You gotta have a password to get onto it."

"Do you have one?" Speed asked.

"Yeah, he sent it to me when he started up," Danny replied. "It's a long shot, Tim, but no one knows 'bout him outside New York. I keep telling him he needs to go bigger, help more people, but he's scared it'll be taken away from him. He's been building this database up for ten years now."

Horatio looked over. "It sounds to me like something to check out," he said with a smile. "Danny, you may have just given us a clue to be able to reopen this case. Thank you."

"Just doing my job," Danny said, ducking his head.

"Yes, you are, and you're a marvel," Horatio said. "Go on, you two can use the computer in the office. Let's see if we can break this case open. Well done, Danny."  
****

"Deep amazonian jungle vine," Speed said that night. "How the hell are we supposed to keep up with things from a lost world, Horatio?"

"By using the resources we have," Horatio replied. "Danny, I spoke with Scott, your friend up in New York, and put him in touch with a contact at the FBI. My friend will make sure that Scott maintains credit for the web page and the ability to update it as he has been, but with a wider distribution on it to other crime labs. I think that Scott hadn't realized exactly what he had created, and how much help it would be."

"He'll really get to keep his project?"

Horatio smiled. "The FBI is planning to offer him a job maintaining it," he said. "His condition won't matter there because he'll be in the lab, not a field agent. His baby will soon be able to help people around the world. You did good today, Danny."

"Speed's the one that found the match," Danny said.

"But he wouldn't have known about the page if not for you," Horatio said. "With this, we've been able to reopen and expand the scope of the case. It's possible that two families may finally be able to have closure because you came out to help us today."

Danny blinked a couple of times. "I didn't even think about it," he said. "There was a case and I had an answer. What's that mean?"

"It means your a CSI in your blood, just like Horatio," Speed said. 

"It also means you trust Tim and me enough to speak up about ideas," Horatio said. "Danny, you have a long way to go, I'm not going to lie to you about that, but you took a second step today towards your recovery. Do not push yourself, but don't give up. You are showing everyone what a remarkable young man you truly are."


	36. Chapter 36

"He's healing," Speed commented. "Slowly and I don't think he even realizes it, but he's healing."

"What's going to happen when he has to talk with Mac again though?" Horatio asked. The pair was in the stands watching Danny and Leia working on some of their more advanced training out at the dog academy. "I worry that Danny is just going to retreat into his shell again and any progress he's made down here will vanish."

"I know what you mean," Speed sighed. "Mac Taylor has one of the stronger personalities I've run across and he really will just walk all over his people without knowing what he's doing. Even if Mac's been talking with someone, if he can't find the answer to why he's done this much damage to a man he says he loves the I don't know that I want to let Danny go back to New York. One friend at work isn't going to be enough to keep him balanced and we could lose him, H."

Horatio nodded. "I've been thinking about flying up and talking with Mac in person," he said. "Also seeing if maybe I can talk him around to working out why he did this."

"I should have known you'd have a theory about it," Speed said. "Share."

"It's less a theory and more a feeling. Mac's wife died in the attacks, right?"

"Yeah, she worked in one of the Towers and they never found anything of her," Speed said. "Only way Mac knows she's dead is that she'd gone into work early that day and her office was close to the impact site."

"Then they got together what, a year later?" Horatio asked.

"Sounds about right. Danny never told me they were dating," Speed replied. "Not until the night Mac kicked him out, then the whole story came out. I'd known Danny was happy about something, but I didn't know exactly what it was. I didn't hear much after that, but I knew the problems hadn't stopped. I would have gone up to help him if he'd asked."

"I know you would have," Horatio said. "Danny had told Mac about his family, not in detail, but enough that Mac could have done research on them if he'd wanted to find out more. Why didn't he do it? I know I would have looked into any possible connection, if only to be ready if a question was ever brought to me by Stetler or another officer in IAB. How better to protect your people and your lab than having the answers before the questions are asked?"

"I'd say that Mac trusted Danny, but he proved that he really doesn't."

"Exactly, so what changed between everything but a sudden revelation by one of the men Danny had been associated with through his father and brother," Horatio said. "Mac went into that interview loving and trusting Danny with everything and came out willing to hurt Danny to get him out of his life. Why?"

Speed sighed. "Horatio, I'm not treating this like a case. Just tell me before Danny comes to get us."

"Doubt, Speed. Doubt."

"I thought Mac already suggested that," Speed said.

"That's the top emotion," Horatio said. "When Sonny told Mac that Danny knew all about Tanglewood and they knew all about him, Mac's mind would have flashed immediately back to Danny telling him that his family had shady connections. Connections that Danny broke off, yes, but that he also hadn't told Mac about. Mac, at that moment, started to doubt Danny and doubt Danny's faith in him. Those two doubts combined into fear and Mac lashed out, trying to hurt Danny as badly as Mac felt he'd been hurt. From that moment on, nothing Danny could do was good enough because Mac saw lies where there were none, Tim."

"I thought Mac had already come up with all of this."

"He's dismissed it as being wrong rather than really thinking about it," Horatio said. "Mac could still feel love for Danny, and I believe that he does, but it would have been buried under a sense of betrayal. Possibly made worse when Mac thought about his late wife. You know as well as I do that the surviving spouse can often feel betrayed by the death of a deeply loved one."

"So he's projecting," Speed said. "That's what this all comes down to. Mac was hurt badly enough by Sonny dropping names that he projected all of that onto Danny, wanting to make Danny hurt as badly as he was. It makes sense, Horatio, but I don't know if you're right or not."

"Which is why I need to talk with Mac," Horatio said. "Will you and Danny be okay for a few days while I go north?"

Speed nodded. "Yeah, but I don't know how he'll take you talking with Mac, H."

"We need to be sure that Danny has a safe home to return to, Tim. If this is the only way to do it, then I have to do it," Horatio said. "You can tell Danny a few stories about me, if you think he needs to be reassured about anything."

"Somehow I think that's the last thing he needs," Speed said with another sigh.


	37. Chapter 37

Mac was in his office working on his computer when he felt eyes on him. He hadn't heard the door, no one knocked, so he looked up and jumped when he found Horatio sitting across from him. "How did you do that?"

"I'm very quiet, Mac," Horatio said with a small smile. "I thought it was time that we talk in person."

"Can I ask how Danny is?"

"He helped us break open a cold case and it is now solved," Horatio said. "When he heard us talking about it, he didn't even think, he came out and sat down in full CSI mode to help with the case. Danny's also been working with Leia and will certify this week. I think that she's the real reason he's healing as well as he is, but I'm still worried."

"About him coming back up to New York," Mac said with a sigh. "I wish I could say something to help you out, Horatio, but right now the only thing I can promise is that I'll be careful with him."

"Danny still has a lot of questions, Mac, questions that only you can answer. The main one being why."

"I wish I knew. I actively set out to destroy one of my people, the one I love deeply, and I don't know why," Mac said.

Horatio nodded. "I think I might, Mac," he said. "Tell me why you never looked into Danny's family more than you did."

"He told me he never saw them because they were involved in shady business," Mac said. "With no connection between them, I didn't think it was my place to get involved."

"And yet there was still a loose connection," Horatio said. "One that was used to hurt you, your lab, and break everything to pieces. What if you had known about Louie and his connections to Sonny? What if you knew more about the time Danny spent with them before he was able to get out? What then, Mac?"

"I probably would have had questions and I don't know if Danny would have answered them," Mac said.

"Do you see what's happening here, Mac? You claim you love Danny and you don't trust him," Horatio said. "Love without trust, Mac, is deadly. Let me tell you what I would have done in this same situation. It wouldn't have been hard for you to do some quiet checking into Danny's past on your own after he told you why he has no contact with his family. Just looking to see names and connections. Then you would have found out about Louie and possibly Danny's time there, too. That's something that could still come up, Mac, and you need to decide how you're going to handle things if it does. Tim told me that Danny followed Louie everywhere until Danny was sixteen and realized what all was happening."

Mac leaned forward. "Did he ever break the law?" he asked.

"Not that I'm aware of, but he hasn't told me," Horatio replied softly. "Mac, I will keep Danny in Miami if you give me a hint that you will drive him back to death's door again."

"I'm sorry," Mac said. "I'll find a way to ask him that won't hurt anyone."

"Mac, you should always know the small secrets that can hurt your people or your lab, and it should always be considered in that order," Horatio said. "The lab is never more important than the people you work with. Taint to the lab can be overcome, even if it takes years and federal reviews. People cannot always be glued back together once they're broken."

"So you're telling me that you know every dark secret your people have?"

"I don't, but I trust them to tell me if there's any impact to a case they might be near," Horatio said. "If I see a change in their behavior, then I take them aside and ask them why. Then, if it comes out they're more connected to a case than they should be, I pull them. Danny's told me that his behavior was different the minute Sonny's gang showed up in this case, but you never picked up on it. You knew him better than anyone in the lab, Mac, and you couldn't see him begging for a chance to talk with you away from the lab. To talk with his lover, not his supervisor."

"You said you thought you knew why," Mac said.

Horatio stared at him for a long moment and then sighed with a small chuckle at the end. "You doubted him, Mac," Horatio said. "You believed a man in an interrogation room over the man you'd been sleeping with for several years. Because you didn't bother to look into Danny's family, to take that small amount of time to find out if there was ever anything that could come back and surprise you, you faced a moment of doubt so severe that it made you question everything; from the moment your late wife walked out the door for the last time to Danny waking up next to you in bed. That doubt was so strong that it unbalanced every piece of you and you lashed out instead of speaking rationally with the one man that would have been able to help you through those moments of panic and uncertainty. Then you kept going until you drove Danny to the point of trying to kill himself.

"He could have lied to me," Mac said.

"Would he have lied?" Horatio asked. "You know Danny better than anyone in this lab, Mac. Would Danny, when he was trying to find a way to speak with you about the case before you went in to speak with Sonny, would he have lied to you?"

"I don't know."

"You need to find your faith in Danny, Mac," Horatio said. "Because right now I'm not letting Danny come back into this environment."

"You'd really keep him away from his home?"

"What home, Mac?" Horatio asked. "Danny has told you several times that you were forever for him. The one he wanted to be with until you both die. Do you really think he has a home now? Danny came to me for help and I will keep him healthy, even if that means making him see that returning to New York will be the biggest mistake he will ever make."

"I've hurt people for talking to me in that tone," Mac said.

Horatio grinned. "That, Mac, would truly be the last mistake you ever make," he said.


	38. Chapter 38

"There's no way you would be able to stop me in a fight," Mac said.

"Believe what you will, Mac," Horatio said with the same smile in place. "I'm telling you the truth and because you don't like what you're hearing, you're turning to threats of physical violence. What would that do to Danny?"

Mac stopped and seemed to shrink down in his chair. "It'd kill him."

"Yes it would, although right now Danny's not strong enough to talk with you about a case, let alone anything personal," Horatio said. "You need to work out why you're so defensive about all of this, Mac. Why are you so locked away?"

"I'm not."

"You are. Right now Danny is trying to work out if he wants to pull the sword from the stone," Horatio said. "I don't know how it is he still loves you, but he does and he doesn't know what he wants to do, what end his quest will have. It seems to me that he's not the only one with stone on or around his heart, Mac. I think you're worse than he is and you don't know what you want to do either."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Mac said.

Horatio leaned forward in his chair. "Then let's look at the evidence, Mac. You allowed Danny into your bed and you claim you love him. I'll admit to a great deal of doubt about that statement given your recent actions, but we'll put it up there for now," he said. "You lost your wife in horrible circumstances that no one should ever be made to endure, yet you let Danny come into your life about a year later. I don't wonder if there might not be some residual guilt hiding somewhere in the back of your mind that you gave up too quickly. That you didn't mourn your late wife long enough. Maybe even that you were able to move on. You could have remained alone for the rest of your life, Mac, but no spouse wants that for the other. You gave Danny a key to your home. How many people have you granted that honor to in the past?"

"No one," Mac said. "Not since Claire and I were dating."

"So you trusted Danny at that point, allowing him an honor only one other person was ever lucky enough to have," Horatio said. "Did Danny ever abuse the privilege? Did he come over uninvited, or unexpected? Did he ever put you to an inconvenience by using his key?"

"Never. It took me close to six months to get him to believe that he could come over whenever he wanted, that I wanted my apartment to be a home to him too," Mac said. "Even then, he never once came over here when I wasn't home."

"Which tells me he still wasn't fully comfortable in your space for some reason," Horatio said. "Danny is a very alert young man and it's possible he was still picking up on something from you, a vibe that said you weren't as willing to share your space as you said you were. You knew enough of his past to know the gang's name, to know that Danny would be the best one to ask, but then you suddenly stopped talking to him in the middle of the case. He came to you to talk, wanting to see what you worked out. Why?"

"At the time I thought it was unusual, but didn't have a chance to really think about it because we got called out," Mac said. "Then Sonny dropped Danny's name in the interrogation room."

"So you're telling me that you ignored the clues Danny was giving you in favor of a case," Horatio said. "Homicide investigation or no, your people should always take center stage when their behavior changes, Mac. Because they might not be able to ask you for help, they might not know how, but their behavior will tell you everything they can't. You should have seen red flags the moment Danny came to you. Instead, you allowed yourself to be blinded and then you believed a suspect over one of your own. I find that unforgivable, Mac."

"So what would you have done if you were in the same position?" Mac demanded. "I did the best I could, Horatio."

Horatio shook his head with a sigh. "No you didn't, Mac. You didn't even come close to doing the best you could," he said. "In fact, you have failed Danny at every turn. Do you truly want to know what I would have done, or are you asking just to get the focus off you for a moment?"

"I want to know."

"All right then. I already told you that I would have quietly looked into Danny's family and their connections. Nothing that would flag at the lab, nothing that would cause any trouble, but enough that I wouldn't have been blind-sided by a comment from a gangster in the interrogation room trying to cause trouble in the lab to get the heat off of him," Horatio said. "I would have spoken with Danny when he showed up at my office, body radiating every signal that he needed me but didn't know how to ask. Because of my research into Danny's past, I wouldn't have been surprised by the comment made in the interrogation room, and would have spoken quietly with Danny that night. Asked him to tell me a little more because there was concern about a possible connection being made in the future. Then I would have hugged him tightly, told him that he is the most important person in my life and I would be there to support him no matter what else happened. That way, Danny would have still had a strong support when things started going poorly for him at the lab. Regardless of personal problems, Mac, you failed Danny as a supervisor when he needed you the most."

"He was a danger to himself and to the lab," Mac said. "We never found one of his bullets."

Horatio's eyes flashed up and Mac shrank back at the anger in them. "He was exhausted, heart-broken, and without support at work," he snapped. "Danny was sleeping an hour a night because of nightmares caused by how you treated him, Detective Taylor. He was already afraid of that gun because of his childhood and you made it worse for him by cutting him to the bone rather than showing you had any trust left in him. I'm not sure how Danny is still alive, but you should count your blessings that he is, because had he died, I likely would have come up here and pushed for answers." Horatio leaned forward. "No one likes it when I start pushing for answers, Detective."


	39. Chapter 39

"Everything okay in here, Mac?" Stella asked, leaning in the door.

"It's fine, Stella. Lieutenant Caine was just leaving," Mac replied.

Horatio sighed. "It's all on your head, Mac," he said softly, standing up. "Do you really want it to play out like this? I came up here willing to help you, but I can't do that until you stop throwing up blocks at every turn."

"I have work to do," Mac said.

"Until later then," Horatio said, slipping past Stella and out into the hall.

"Okay, what the hell was that all about, Mac?" Stella asked, watching as Horatio vanished out the far door.

"The lieutenant was asking me some questions about Danny and what all happened before he ended up in the hospital," Mac replied. "Danny's healing, but not as well as we were hoping and it looks like he'll have to stay in Miami longer than we thought he would."

"I'll give him a call, let him know we all miss him," Stella said. "You sure you're okay?"

"As okay as I can be," Mac said. "Thanks, Stella."

"Don't hide away in here all day," Stella said. "You need to eat."

"I'll eat, I'll eat," Mac said. He turned back to his computer and had just turned off the screensaver when his phone rang. "Taylor."

"One more thing, Detective," Horatio said. "I'm going to find the answers you never bothered to, and then we'll see if maybe you can find a way to trust Danny again."

Mac sighed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Very likely not, but I think that Sonny will be a good place to start getting answers," Horatio said. "I told you, Detective, no one likes it when I start asking questions. I'll talk to you later."

Mac put his phone down and stared at it for a long moment. That was really the last thing he needed, a guy with no idea how dangerous Sonny and his gang were poking into their business. He was just about to stand up and try to find Horatio when he thought of something. Horatio had been with Speed for a number of years, and it sounded like Danny and Speed grew up together, so it was possible that Speed knew more about the gang than Mac thought he did and had been feeding information to Horatio. So it was possible that Horatio knew exactly what he was walking into. Mac leaned back in his chair and tried to mentally map out the connections in front of him. He wondered if it was possible that Speed had a deeper connection to the gang than Danny did, but shook his head at that one. Horatio would have mentioned something like that.  
****

Horatio had his badge tucked away safely in an inner pocket where no one would think it was anything other than another wallet. It had been years since he'd been in the part of New York he was walking through, but there were some things the same, including one bar that he'd used as an information source when he worked New York homicide. It was the best place to get a lead on Sonny's location. He pushed the door open and went inside, smiling when he caught sight of the man behind the bar. "Ernie."

"Well, as I live and breathe, Horatio Caine," Ernie said. "Where've you been all these long years? We thought you'd come to a bad end."

"Maybe I did," Horatio said with a small smile, sliding onto a bar stool. "I transferred to Miami, Ernie. What's been happening around here?"

"Usual shit going down. Not much changes in a neighborhood like this one."

"That can be both good and bad," Horatio said. He accepted the beer bottle with a nod. "Ernie, I've got a friend that tried to kill himself and I'm trying to find a few answers into what drove him to that point. I need to find someone and it's possible you can give me a hint on where to look."

Ernie shrugged. "I hear a lot, you know that Horatio, but I don't rat out," he said. 

"I just want to talk. I have no jurisdiction here," Horatio said. He flipped his jacket open. "I'm not even carrying."

"Just talk, nothing back to the cops?"

"Just to talk," Horatio said with a smile. "All I want to know is what happened, Ernie, and this person is my starting point."

"All right, gimmie a name. Don't know I can help you though. Business has moved out in some families."

"I understand," Horatio said. "I'm looking for Sonny Sassone."

"That one. He never changes up. Every night he holds court down in a dive," Ernie said. "Don't have the name, just an address."

"That will work, Ernie," Horatio said. "Could you write it down for me, please?"

"Yeah, sure. One second."

Horatio took the paper and tucked it into his pocket. "I'm hoping to be able to bring peace to my friend's life, Ernie," he said softly. "They're worried he's going to try again, and he might just manage it this time. I want to be sure he doesn't."

"Anyone able to help, it'll be you," Ernie said. "Be careful going down there asking questions, Horatio. It's rough."

"Thanks for the warning. I'll be on my guard," Horatio said. "Take care of yourself, Ernie."


	40. Chapter 40

Ernie hadn't been kidding when he said it was a dive, and Horatio could tell the instant he walked in that Tanglewood ran the bar, even if there was no obvious sign of it. He ignored everyone staring at him and went up to the bar, ordering a beer. Horatio wasn't surprised when a man sat down next to him. "You gotta pay to come in here."

"I think your boss will want to hear what I have to say, Louie," Horatio replied softly.

"How do you know who I am?"

"I know Danny."

Louie Messer sighed. "Danny don't come here anymore," he said. "I gave him one piece of advice when he was a kid and that was to run fast as he could and get as far away from us as possible. He listened."

"Yes he did, right up until Sonny was brought in on suspicion of murder and dropped Danny's name in the middle of the interrogation," Horatio said softly. "Danny then tried to kill himself, Louie. Do not tell me you think that's okay."

"Hell no it ain't okay. I'm stuck, but Danny's still my brother," Louie said. "Sonny ain't in tonight, I'm holding things down."

"Okay, but you can get word to Sonny that I want to talk with him, right?" Horatio asked.

"I can, but there's no promise he'll come."

Horatio smiled. "I think he will, when he finds out what I know," he said. "Tell him that Horatio Caine is in the bar, Louie, and he knows about the football field."  
****

Horatio had moved to a back table where his back was to a wall when Sonny walked into the bar a couple of hours later. He watched Sonny and Louie talking up near the front of the bar and grinned when Louie ran everyone off and then moved to lock the door once they were gone. Sonny stopped at the bar for a drink and then came back. "Horatio Caine's a name no one in New York has heard in years," he said, sitting down. "Now you're suddenly back and claiming to know something about me and my boys."

"I do, Sonny," Horatio said. "I'm willing to forget everything I know about that football field, the body buried there, and how you conned a young man wanting into your gang into helping you in exchange for one thing."

"Yeah, say I do know what you're talking about, what one thing?"

"Information," Horatio said. "I understand that recently you were arrested on suspicion of murder, but there wasn't enough evidence to proceed with the case. A young man was flashing around a fake tattoo for your gang, and I'm sure you do take a very dim view of that."

"You wanna wear the ink, you gotta do it right," Sonny said with a shrug. "Cops thought they knew it was us, we were busy that night and had people to back us up. So they had to let us go."

"Unfortunately," Horatio said. "And not before you mentioned a name to the lead detective, Sonny. Tell me what you have against Danny Messer."

Sonny started laughing. "That's what this is all about? Danny Messer don't mean nothing to me," he said. He stood up. "You're crazy, Caine."

"Sit down," Horatio said softly, eyes locked on Sonny's.

"Yeah, why not? It ain't like I have anything better to do tonight."

Horatio grinned. He knew that the younger man's legs were shaking and Sonny didn't want to show fear in front of his gang. "That's better. Now, I think that Danny Messer was one job away from getting his ink when suddenly he left," Horatio said. "He wouldn't have said anything about his time running with you and your crew, but you were worried when he joined the police force. Suddenly there was someone there that knew enough about you, where the bodies were buried if you will, to cause some problems for you, so you started to plot. I'm sure you have a pet cop somewhere that would have told you that Danny was the student for the head of the crime lab. When you suddenly faced that same head of the crime lab, you saw a chance to ruin Danny and make it safe for your crew at the same time."

"Say I did. Then what?"

"Then nothing," Horatio said. "You just had to sit back and wait for the results to hit the papers. They almost did, Sonny, but there's one thing you didn't count on in all of this. Danny attempted to kill himself and almost managed it because you decided to cause trouble for him rather than let him go. Danny was never yours, there was no ink involved. This is petty revenge because Danny listened to the one person he still respected enough to believe."

"And who would that be?" Sonny asked.

"His older brother," Horatio replied. "The man standing across the bar holding a gun, Sonny. You see, I had a chance to talk with him before you came in, and he's not happy that you hurt his brother so badly."

"Louie would never hurt me. He knows better," Sonny said.

"Does he?" Horatio asked.

"Yeah, he does."

"If you say so," Horatio said. He leaned back in his chair and didn't flinch at the shot from across the bar. "Never underestimate an older brother's love for a younger brother, Sonny."

Louie came over and put the gun down on the table. "Cops'll know it was me," he said.

"Yes, but I'm a witness and that was to save my life," Horatio said with a small smile. 

"You'd lie to the cops for me? Why?"

"Because you care enough about Danny to help me," Horatio said. "The least I can do is help you in return. I told Mac that I was going to get answers for him, Louie. For that, I'm going to need your help."

"You got it, Lieutenant," Louie said.


	41. Chapter 41

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been focusing on my novels and novellas quite a lot lately and have some new things published. My job takes a lot out of me and my writing time is next to nil right now. I'm taking a day away from my novels to update some fan fiction pieces. Thank you, as always, for your patience with this. I'm doing my best to get my WIPs wrapped up.
> 
> Here's the link to my author page on amazon. com.  
> http://www.amazon.com/Lexxie-Scott/e/B00BHME9QQ  
> I have books about dragons, Sherlock Holmes, ghosts, one horror novella, and arson investigation/murder mysteries. Take a look if you have a second.

Mac and Stella walked into the bar, but Horatio was the only one that saw the small flinch when Mac caught sight of him. "Detective Taylor," he said.

"What happened?" Mac asked.

"Allow me to introduce you to Louie Messer," Horatio replied. "He saved my life tonight. Louie is the shooter, but it was in self defense."

"We'll let the evidence tell us that," Mac said. "Now tell me what the hell really happened."

Horatio looked directly into Mac's eyes. "I asked the questions that you're too chicken to," he said.

Stella gasped when Mac dropped his kit and lunged at Horatio, fist making contact with Horatio's left cheek. "Mac!"

"Let him be, Stella," Horatio said, picking himself up. "Thank you, Louie. I think, Mac, that I'm going to do what we talked about earlier in your office because, right now, you are a greater threat than you realize you are. Where is your detective?"

"Right here," Flack said, coming in the door. "What the hell, Mac? You trying to ruin someone else's life now too?"

"Someone is going to tell me what the hell is going on around here," Stella said. "Because it's really getting to be obvious that it is not nothing, no matter what you're all telling me."

"Later, Stella," Mac said. "We have a crime scene to process. Flack, question them outside."

Louie, who hadn't said a word, followed Horatio outside. "What's gonna happen now, Horatio?" he asked softly.

"Now we tell Detective Flack what happened," Horatio replied. "You shot in self defense, Louie. I know that Sonny was your friend and that was an impossible decision, but you saved two lives tonight."

"That what happened, Horatio?" Flack asked, notebook out.

"It is. I came to this bar hoping to speak with Sonny about the last case involving Tanglewood and also Danny," Horatio said. "I didn't realize that Sonny would come armed, though I probably should have. If it wasn't for Louie here acting so quickly, I would be dead."

Flack nodded. "That's why there's blood on you and none on him?"

"I was behind the bar making myself a drink," Louie said. "Yeah, I'm the second in the gang, I admit that, but we didn't have nothing to do with no murder. I couldn't hear what Sonny and Horatio was talking about, but I knew Horatio was here to help my brother. When Sonny pulled that knife, I reacted and shot him."

"You got a permit for that gun?" Flack asked.

"It ain't mine," Louie said. "Belongs to the bar owner. He keeps it behind the bar to protect himself. I know the hiding place and grabbed it when I realized what Sonny was doing."

"All right, we'll check into that," Flack said. "Horatio, what did you ask Sonny about?"

"I wanted to know why he had it in for Danny, Don," Horatio said softly. "I wanted to ask the questions that Mac never did, hoping to show that Danny is in no way involved with the gang."

"Hell, I'll swear on a stack of bibles that he ain't," Louie said. "I told Danny to run when he was still a kid, and he ran so far he never looked back to see if anyone was behind him. I didn't know Sonny was gonna cause trouble for Danny. Horatio here told me what happened. How's Danny doing?"

"He's in the process of finding himself again," Horatio said. "Although right now I doubt he'll be coming back to Miami." He checked his cheek carefully and winced. "I think, Don, that I might need to be X-Rayed to check for a fracture. Mac has a good right."

"Aw, shit, you mean he did that?" Flack asked.

Horatio sighed. "He did, Don, and right now, he's unstable enough that should Danny return home, Mac will drive him to attempt suicide again," he said. "I'm going to advise Danny to stay in Miami until he is in a better place both physically and mentally. He needs to heal, and I will not allow anyone to push him back to the edge again."


	42. Chapter 42

Danny and Speed were watching a movie when Speed's cell phone rang. "Yeah."

"Hey, it's me," Horatio said. "How's Danny doing?"

Speed paused the movie and sat up. "He was almost asleep when the phone rang, H. We're doing good. Spent the day out at the training field and I think that Danny's going to be an awesome handler for Leia," he said. "What about you? How's New York?"

"I'm at the hospital awaiting the results of an X-Ray," Horatio said. "Mac punched me tonight, Tim. We can't let Danny come back to New York right now, maybe ever. I need you to start talking with him about other options for me, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. You okay?"

"Probably just a fracture in the cheek bone," Horatio said with a small sigh. "Sonny is dead, Tim. Louie shot him to save my life tonight. Tell Danny that if you think it'll help him to heal a little more."

"Maybe in the morning. I don't want to risk nightmares," Speed said. "You take care of yourself up there, Horatio. What else do you have planned before you come home?"

"Louie is telling Don Flack about the football field, and the reason Danny's DNA is on the shovel that is buried with the body," Horatio said. "Tell Danny that he's not in trouble for that, and the blame for that whole event is going to fall directly on Sonny."

"Which is where it belongs in the first place, the guy's a creep," Speed said. "Wish I'd been there to see it happen. He's caused Danny enough pain."

"Yes he has. Louie isn't going to call Danny until we're a little more certain of his mental state, but it's possible he might have to face trial for today, even with my evidence stating he shot in self-defense," Horatio said. "Mac is investigating the crime scene and we don't know what all he's going to turn up there."

Speed sighed. "You are telling the truth, right?" 

"Of course I am."

"Then Mac's the one in the wrong if he says something else happened," Speed said. "You be more careful up there, Horatio."

"I will. The doctor just came in, so I'll talk with you later, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Love you."

"Love you too."

Danny looked up at Speed. "What don't you guys want me to know?" he asked softly.

"Some of that is conversation for daylight, Dan," Speed replied. "I'll tell you everything, but just not right now. Horatio got hurt and is in the hospital getting checked out. He wanted to let me know so I didn't hurt him when he gets home."

"What happened?"

"I'm not sure, but he said Mac punched him," Speed said. "Danny, right now I think there's too much risk to let you go back up to New York and back to work. From the sound of things, Mac is not acting like himself right now, and it's possible that you could walk right back into a worse situation than you left."

"I don't go home, what do I do then?" Danny asked.

"You can stay here in Miami as long as you want to," Speed said. "You've still got a lot of healing to do, Danny, and I think that I would feel better having you where I can keep an eye on you until I'm sure that you're not going to try and kill yourself again. If nothing else, we need to get you eating properly again."

Danny sighed. "I wish I could talk to Mac again," he said. "I'm so confused, Tim."

"I know you are, Danny, I know you are," Speed said. "Let's talk about everything else in the morning and then we can make a decision if we want to let you talk with Mac on the phone or not. I think that Horatio's managed to poke Mac in the wrong places by asking questions that should have been asked months ago, if not years, and that's going to have Mac on guard in a way you've probably never seen before. How does Mac take being wrong?"

"Not well."

"Exactly, and it's possible he'll lash out without thinking things through, and hurt your more when he does it."

"Yeah, you're right," Danny said. He rolled over and cuddled up against Speed. "Will you stay with me tonight? I don't want to be alone."

"Sure," Speed said. "I wish I could tell you everything will be better in the morning, Dan, but I don't want to lie to you."

"I don't want you to. Ever."

"I won't," Speed said. "Never."


	43. Chapter 43

Horatio wasn't surprised when the knock came on his hotel door. He pushed off the bed with a sigh and went to double check who it was before he opened the door. "Detective Taylor."

"We need to talk," Mac said.

"Do we? I thought you said everything you had to say at the bar last night," Horatio commented, not moving.

"Are you going to make me do this in the hall?"

Horatio sighed again and stepped back to let Mac into the room. "Know that I am armed and if you come towards me again, I will shoot," he said, shutting the door. "Consider this your only warning, Detective."

Mac sat down in the chair by the window and looked at Horatio. "The scene at the bar showed that Sonny was shot from a distance by the gun that was on the bar when we arrived," he said. "You were telling the truth."

"I was, yes," Horatio said. He sat down at the small desk, keeping the bed between them. "So now, Detective, you have another question to ask yourself. Why are you so quick to decide someone is lying to you?"

"I've never seen any of Danny's family before. That was really his brother?"

"That was Louie, yes."

"He looks a bit like Danny," Mac said. "Does Danny know what all happened up here last night?"

"I called Tim and filled him in. It's up to him what he chooses to tell Danny or not depending on how Danny is feeling," Horatio said. "Neither of us want to cause a set-back in Danny's healing so it's very possible he only knows that I've spoken with you and am out trying to find answers. I haven't spoken with Tim today."

"Are you afraid of me, Horatio?"

"I think you want to believe I am. This is caution, Detective. You attacked me yesterday for no reason other than you didn't like something I said to you," Horatio said, his voice and eyes cold. "You have shown that you are willing to hurt and kill those you love without thought to them, so forgive me if I decide that showing a little caution in a small room is a good idea."

Mac's eyes flashed as he stood up, but he sank back into the chair when he saw the gun in Horatio's hand. "You wouldn't shoot me," he said.

"It would be ruled self-defense," Horatio said. "Do you really want to test me after everything else you've done to Danny and myself, Detective?"

The sneer in the word made Mac flinch, but he didn't move. "I want to know when my life got so out of control," he said. "No one can seem to tell me that."

"It flew out of control the moment you decided to trust a known criminal and liar over the man you claimed to love," Horatio said. "You lost control the instant you allowed doubt to come into your mind and heart, and from that moment on, you have chosen to not listen to anyone offering you help and have continued lashing out at not only the man you claimed to love, but those that have offered to help you find the place where you went wrong so you can begin to heal again."

"You said you were here to help me," Mac said.

"You lost that chance the moment you kicked me out of your office at the lab," Horatio said. "I did exactly what I said I would. I found answers to the questions you should have asked. Sonny was a liar that was out for vengeance against a young man that spurned him for a life in law enforcement. Danny walked out when Louie told him to and never looked back. Sonny waited until the perfect moment to destroy Danny, and you did exactly what Sonny hoped you would do. You drove Danny to suicide and Sonny just had to sit back and laugh as you did the dirty work. I hope that you're proud of yourself, Detective. Because of your actions, you did one man more harm than years of gang involvement would have done."

Mac flinched. "I want to talk to Danny," he said.

"No."

"You can't keep me from calling him."

"Do you really think that, Mac?" Horatio asked softly. "Go ahead and try if you think you can just pick up the phone and make contact with the man you tried to murder."

Mac pulled out his cell phone and pushed the speed-dial for Danny's cell phone. His heart sped up a little when it was answered. "Danny?"

"Yeah, like I'd let that happen," a dry voice said from the other end. "Danny's not available right now, Detective Taylor. I won't tell him you called."

"Who is this?" Mac demanded.

"Who do you think?" 

"Tim."

"Very good. I was starting to wonder if you had any brains at all," Speed said. "If that's all, Danny needs me. Don't bother calling back."

Horatio grinned when Mac glanced back over at him. "You won't be able to reach him, Detective."

"What's going to happen when he wants to talk to me?" Mac asked, putting his phone away.

"We'll make him see that it's a mistake," Horatio replied. "Until Danny is both physically and mentally more certain of himself and his place in the world, speaking to you is the last thing he needs to do. I left a folder on your desk with my opinions on what you did, what happened, and what you need to do to heal. I also put in the answers to the questions you should have asked, but Don Flack has that information as well and he'll be taking care of it. My advice to Danny is going to remain the same. He should run as far from New York as possible and never look back."

"Why?" Mac asked.

"Because you will kill him if he returns," Horatio replied. "Now, it's time for you to leave, Detective. I have a plane to catch."


	44. Chapter 44

Danny was out on the beach playing with Leia when Horatio got home. Speed, who was cooking, didn’t even blink when he caught sight of his lover’s face. “You’re right, he’s good a good hook,” he said. “Fractured?”

“Fractured,” Horatio replied, wrapping Speed in a hug. “How much did you tell Danny?”

“Just that Sonny is gone for good and he doesn’t need to worry about Tanglewood anymore,” Speed said. He kissed Horatio’s cheek softly. “I didn’t think he needed to know the rest of it, at least not right now.”

“I think you’re right,” Horatio said. “I don’t know what to do about Mac, Tim. The man made another attempt to attack me in my hotel room, and only stopped because I had my gun in my hand. It’s like he wants to self-destruct and doesn’t know how to stop himself.”

“Maybe he does,” Speed said. “Let me go, the soup is trying to boil over. Maybe Mac does want to implode because he’s lost control of everything in his life.”

Horatio slid onto the counter, ignoring the glare from Speed, and grabbed a roll from the rack where they were cooling. “I suppose if Mac is more of a control freak than we realized, then having everything crash around him could be causing a lot of the issues I saw while I was in the city,” he said. “It might be time to talk with Flack and see if we can’t get Mac to someone that can help him.”

“That’s all well and good, but what about Danny?”

“We keep him here with us,” Horatio said. “At least for now. I think that Danny loves New York too much to ever move away for good, but we have to be positive that he’s healthy in mind, body, and spirit before we let him go back to work up there.”

“Leia is helping a lot more than I hoped she would,” Speed said. He turned the heat down under the soup pot and moved across to look out the window. “We just have to get his energy levels built back up along with his confidence.”

“Is he at least in the shade?” Horatio asked, twisting around to look. “I’ll go move him.”

“Thanks,” Speed said. “I’ll finish up in here and then come join you guys.”

Horatio snagged Speed for a quick kiss and then hopped down and headed out onto the deck. Danny was lying on a towel down on the sand with Leia panting next to him. “Danny, we need to get you out of the sun,” Horatio said softly. “Come on, let’s go up on the deck if you want to take a nap.”

“Just restin’ my eyes,” Danny said, blinking up at Horatio. “Time is it?”

“Around one. I just got home, Danny,” Horatio said. “Please tell me you have sunblock on.”

“Course, Tim wouldn’t let me out without it,” Danny said. “What happened to your face, Horatio?”

“I got punched while dealing with the fallout from Sonny’s death. Mac didn’t like my tone, I believe,” Horatio replied, sitting down on the stairs up to the deck. “It’s just a fracture and will heal with time.”

Danny pushed up and used his arm to rub his eyes. His hands had sand on them. “I still can’t believe he’s gone,” he said. “Sonny’s always been the monster in the closet for me. The one that I never knew when he’d show up or what’d happen when he did. Knowing he’s gone, for good, it’s like suddenly I got one less worry. I don’t know how to feel about that.”

“You’ll feel confused for a while, Danny, because at one point in your life, you looked up to Sonny,” Horatio said. “And there’s no shame to be had in that. You were young and still trying to figure out what you wanted in life. You also were smart and brave enough to listen to your brother and run when he told you to. Sonny’s gone and he no longer has any power over you.”

“There’s stuff he made me do that could still come out,” Danny said.

“Louie is taking care of that for you,” Horatio said. “He’s talking with Flack about some things in the past, and making sure that the blame falls squarely where it belongs, Danny.”

“He is?”

Horatio nodded. “He is, and it’s by his choice. Louie is your brother, Danny, and older brothers will always watch out for younger siblings, even if it doesn’t seem like they are,” he said. “I think Louie might give you a call in a week or two, see how you’re doing. Do you want to talk to him?”

“I ain’t talked to him in years,” Danny said. “Yeah, I miss him. Be good to talk to him again. Horatio, can I talk to Mac?”

“Danny, we’ve told you that you’re the one setting the pace and choosing what you want to do for healing,” Horatio said. “Now, that being said, I managed to make Mac very, very mad when I was in New York and it’s possible that he’s going to be lashing out in frustration as well as anger. Do you really feel strong enough to face that?”

Danny shook his head, eyes down on the sand. “No,” he said.

“All right, why don’t we keep that as an option for the future, but work on getting your confidence and stamina back up first?” Horatio asked. “How do you feel about coming in to consult on a few cases for my lab while you’re down here?”

“How?”

“You’re still a CSI, and one with outstanding instincts,” Horatio said. “I think that you’ll find more confidence in yourself once you find it at work again. Does that make sense?”

“Not really.”

“Look at it like this, then, Danny; when Tim and I were reviewing the cold case, you came out and joined us without thinking about it because you had an answer for us,” Horatio said. “You knew that you could help, so you did. That was a vision of the old Danny peeking through, and Tim says that he’s also seen that a little more while you’re working with Leia. I know that you’re still tiring easily, but I think that you would be able to help us out a lot on cases because you would bring in a different view than we have.”

“I’m willing to try,” Danny said. “I don’t get what that has to do with me healing up though.”

“Well, part of you healing is finding your confidence in yourself again, right?”

“I guess so.”

“There’s confidence at work, and there’s personal confidence and the pair aren’t always linked as clearly as people would like them to be,” Horatio said. “And sometimes they are. I think as you start to become more confident at work, you’ll slowly start to become more confident here too.”

“I still don’t get it, Horatio.”

Horatio grinned and moved to pull Danny into a hug. “That’s okay, Danny,” he said softly. “That’s okay, because you will. You will.”


	45. Chapter 45

Calleigh looked up from her mail and messages when Horatio walked in with a younger man that had a black lab on a short leash. “Good morning, Horatio.”

“Good morning, Calleigh,” Horatio said with a smile. “Calleigh, this is Danny Messer from the New York crime lab. He’s going to be working with me on some cases for the next few weeks. Danny, Calleigh is our ballistics expert.”

“Nice to meet you,” Danny said, pushing his glasses back up into place.

“Welcome to Miami, Danny,” Calleigh said with a smile. “And your friend is?”

“This is Leia,” Danny said, smiling down at the dog. “She’s just finished training to be a police dog. Horatio, you’re sure it’s okay for me to have her in the lab?”

Horatio handed over the visitor tag and nodded. “We’ll just keep her in the review room or one of the labs where there’s no worry about hair,” he said. “Calleigh, how do the assignments look this morning?”

“Eric and I are getting ready to head over to Star Island,” Calleigh said. “There’s a break-in turned homicide that Frank wants some help on. If I could snag Speed too, that’d be awesome.”

“What else needs to be done?”

“There’s two other homicides that need to be investigated,” Calleigh admitted.

“Then Speed and I will take those,” Horatio said with a fond smile. “Go on and let me know if you do need more hands on your case. Once the base investigation is over, I’ll send Speed to help you finish up.”

“Okay, sounds good,” Calleigh said. “Nice to meet you, Danny.”

Danny sighed. “I’m not cleared to investigate a crime scene down here, Horatio,” he said.

“Not on your own, no, but you can come with me and help,” Horatio said. “Leia will be fine along with us as well. Let me get the address and we’ll head out, okay?”

“I guess,” Danny said with a small sigh.  
*~*

The house Horatio pulled up to was in one of the poorer parts of Miami and had half the windows covered with cardboard. Horatio looked around the neighborhood and shook his head with a sigh. “There’s no reason for us to even attempt to see if anyone heard anything,” he said. “No one did.”

“Yeah, we got places like this in New York too,” Danny said. He picked up the small package the training department gave him for taking Leia to a crime scene and followed Horatio towards the front door. “What do you think happened, Horatio?”

“Experience tells me this will be an argument gone wrong,” Horatio said. “Do you need some help to get Leia suited up, Danny?”

“Nah, I got her,” Danny said. He started to put the mini-crime scene uniform on the dog. “Where’s your detective?”

“Next door, unless I miss my guess,” Horatio said. “Officer Harris, the scene is secure?”

“Yes, Lieutenant,” the officer at the door said.

Horatio nodded. “Thank you,” he said. “Who is our detective for this case?”

“Detective Salas is inside.”

“One negative for me,” Horatio said with a wry smile. “Thank you. Are you ready, Danny?”

“As I’m going to be.”

“Here we go then.” Horatio led the way inside, blue eyes taking in everything as he went. “Yelina.”

She turned around with a smile. “Horatio,” Yelina said. “Who is this?”

“Danny Messer is a consultant working with me for the next few weeks,” Horatio said. “Danny, this is my sister-in-law, Yelina Salas, one of our detectives.”

“Welcome to the lab, Danny,” Yelina said with the same smile. “I’ve got gunshots with no gun visible, Horatio. The neighbors heard the shots, but won’t tell me much more about the family living here.”

“About what I was expecting then,” Horatio said. “We’ll see what we can turn up for you. Do we know if the victims are the owners of the house or not?”

“Not yet. I’m waiting for a call-back from the records division because I can’t find anyone that can tell me the names of the people who lived here.”

Horatio nodded, still looking around. “That’s a little odd, don’t you think, Yelina?”

“Of course, and I’ll let you know what I find out,” she said. 

“Thank you,” Horatio said. “The walls don’t match up for me, Danny. What do you think?”

“What do you mean?” Danny asked, looking around.

“Come stand here next to me,” Horatio replied. “There, do you see what I mean?”

“Yeah, kinda,” Danny said. “It’s like someone decided to make one of the walls thicker than it needed to be, but it’s not obvious until you really look at it.”

Horatio grinned. “So that leads me to ask the question of why they would thicken a wall unless they had something they wanted to hide,” he said. “Let’s get the scene investigated and then I think I’ll see what’s in that wall. I’m curious.”  
*~*

“Diamonds,” Speed said flatly, looking at the packages on the table back at the lab. “Seriously?”

“Apparently so,” Horatio said, rubbing Leia’s ears. The dog was sitting next to him while Danny ran to the bathroom. “Also, the people that were dead in the house don’t belong there. I’ve got a real mystery shaping up here, Tim.”

“Smugglers or thieves,” Speed said. “I wouldn’t want to be dealing with either of them. Don’t suppose we can turn the diamonds over to someone, can we? Get them out of the lab before some moron decides that it’d be easy to come in here and rob us.”

“You are a natural cynic, Tim,” Horatio said with a fond glint in his eyes. “Moving the diamonds would be more of a risk than allowing them to stay in our safe in evidence for a week or two. I’m quite sure that any number of people are going to try and claim them.”

Speed sighed. “Which you’ll deny, of course.”

“They’re evidence in a homicide investigation,” Horatio said. “They go nowhere until the killer is in jail for his crimes.”

“Great. So, in the meantime, we all have to work knowing that they’re in the safe in evidence,” Speed said. “Can I take the next month off?”

“Why would you want to take a month off?” Danny asked, coming back into the room. “Thanks, Horatio.”

“You’re welcome, Danny. She’s no trouble at all,” Horatio said. “Tim is convinced that someone is going to come looking for these diamonds and cause problems at the lab.”

“He’s probably right,” Danny said. “Drugs and gems are the two things that attract criminals like nothing else.”

Horatio grinned. “If they’re stupid enough to break in here then they deserve what’s coming to them.”

Danny looked over at Speed. “What’s coming to them?” he asked.

“A bullet, if Horatio has anything to say about it,” Speed replied with a sigh.


End file.
